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e-mobility in urban trafficMAN presented its new and all-electric Lion’s City E at the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles trade fair

International

CITY BUS TO PERFECTION.

The city bus made to perfection – a brand new development with great MAN genes. The new generation of MAN Lion’s City vehicles can overcome everyday challenges with great confidence thanks to the array of technical advances for both interior and exterior. All their components are setting new standards; for instance in terms of the life cycle costs (LCC), the pioneering driver’s workplace or the lighting system. Putting a clear focus on efficiency, comfort and ergonomics, the new MAN Lion’s City ensures the most innovative bus driving feeling. Now and in the future. www.bus.man

The new MAN Lion’s City.With an attractive appearance and maximum cost efficiency.

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04 Secure investment Touring entrepreneur Markus Amann prefers taking the wheel of his brand-new MAN Lion’s Coach.

06 Rockin’ and rolling Bus stripped of seating with dance floor and bar

08 New wheels for faster rescue response MAN TGMs deployed for German emergency teams

10 175 years with a lion’s roar Industrial pioneer Heinrich Büssing introduced the lion logo to commercial vehicle history.

12 News Current reports from MAN’s world

14 IAA highlights MAN’s exhibit at the IAA Commercial Vehicles trade show in Hanover attracted massive crowds.

20 Simplifying business for our customers Interview with MAN CEO Joachim Drees

22 Into the future MAN is developing e-mobility to become a comprehensive concept for urban traffic.

28 Gas forward Natural gas engines lower carbon dioxide emissions. At the IAA 2018 show, such a newly configured gas engine was premiered and applauded.

32 Perfectly sorted MAN has reconfigured its TipMatic und Ecolife Coach gear systems for the latest engine generations, while further improving shifting comfort.

34 To the ends of the earth Exploring Patagonia’s wilderness with a NEOPLAN Cityliner, to the southernmost tip of Argentina

40 Family ties on the move Graf’s Reisen carries its passengers to their dream destinations on NEOPLAN coaches.

44 Collaboration for years to come Citizens, experts and policy-makers designed scenarios for goods transport on the last mile.

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Alternative gas drives: Natural gas buses curtail the CO2 output of public transport in South Korea.

MASTHEADMANmagazine is published twice a year in 16 different languages. PUBLISHED BY MAN Truck & Bus, Stefan Klatt (resp.), Dachauer Straße 667, 80995 Munich, Germany EDITOR IN CHIEF & PROJECT MANAGER Joachim Kelz, Tel.: +49. 89. 1580-1175, man-magazin@man.eu, www.man.eu PUBLISHER C3 Creative Code and Content GmbH, Heiligegeistkirchplatz 1, 10178 Berlin, www.c3.co BUSINESS DIRECTOR Klaus-Peter Hilger EDITORS & AUTHORS Matthias Oden (resp.), Cedric Arnaud, Andreas Marx, freelance authors: Christian Merten (resp.), Sascha Böhnke, Rüdiger Schreiber EDITORS INTERNATIONAL EDITION Patricia Preston (resp., freelance), Asa C. Tomash (freelance) PROJECT MANAGEMENT Sarah-Mira Ruder GRAPHICS Christian Kühn, Tom Märkl (freelance) IMAGE EDITORS Elke Maria Latinovic COVER Mario Wezel PRODUCTION C3 Creative Code and Content GmbH PRINTING Gotteswinter und Aumaier GmbH, Joseph-Dollinger-Bogen 22, 80807 Munich, Germany REPRODUCTION permitted with reference. Any changes must be coordinated with the editors. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Thomas Mahler GmbH, Postfach 50 04 65, 80974 Munich, Germany Tel.: +49. 89. 1580-3724, thomas.mahler-gmbh@t-online.de ADVERTISING SALES Zeitzeichen Vertriebs GmbH, Radka Neumann, Tel.: +49. 8323. 9984630, radkaneumann@zeitzeichen.de COPYRIGHT ©2018 MAN and C3 Creative Code and Content GmbH

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MY MAN

Secure investment

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For Markus Amann, 40, coach driving is both a job and a vocation. So even after setting up his own travel company, Amann Reisen, in Upper Bavaria’s Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, he still takes his turn behind the steering wheel – preferably in his newly acquired Lion’s Coach.

Mr Amann, what kind of coach are you driving? It’s an MAN Lion’s Coach C, with two axles, 460 hp and automatic transmission. This means I’ve finally got a completely auto-mated gear system that works really well. When making a purchasing decision for a new touring coach, that was very important to me, for it eliminates all those gear changes in urban traffic settings.

So how does your new bus perform in the city? Some time ago, I took a different travel coach to Rome, and the narrow streets

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turned out a real challenge for the three-axle vehicle. The Lion’s Coach is much more agile, however, and navigates those alleyways far better. Another big advantage of my new coach is its reliability. I’m confident that with this MAN Lion’s Coach I’ve made a secure investment in the future.

Is this your first MAN vehicle? Actually, no. I bought my first Lion’s Coach in 2008. Back then, I went to see a salesperson whose judgment I trusted, because I needed a new travel-coach bus. I told him about my list of priorities, and he recommended MAN.

So what would those be? As a small busi-ness, we don’t require luxury in our coaches. They must be reliable and offer good safety standards. That’s what this one delivers, and I think even more so today than 10 years ago, when I bought my first MAN coach. It’s a sportier design, and the gears are just great. In addition, the maintenance service offered by MAN is very useful – for when any repairs are due, I have access to a temporary vehicle for the duration. That is not ordinary procedure.

How is the Lion’s Coach received by your passengers? They like it a lot. I transport two American football teams, namely the Munich Cowboys and the Ingolstadt Dukes, and especially those boys need plenty of room. The coach offers three different seat spacings, up to a maximum of 77 centimetres. So they can either stretch out once in while or just find a relaxed sitting position. Primarily, however, my ten employees and I are engaged in scheduled services, school transport or day excursions. That makes the reliability factor paramount – along with a functioning onboard toilet.

You are not just the business manager, but also a driver. Would you rather sit at your desk or behind the steering wheel? I have been an avid fan of buses and coaches ever since I was a child – office work is not my favourite occupation. My father used to be a post bus driver, so naturally I would often travel with him. Then came an apprenticeship as an automotive mechanic, before setting up my own touring-coach company in 2004. I’ve been my own boss since then – but still a driver with all my heart.

Lion’s Coach on the main square of Pfaffenhofen: Amann Reisen is based in the hops-growing region of Upper Bavaria.

I’ve been my own boss since 2004 – but still a driver with all my heart.”Markus Amann, founder of Amann Reisen

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Rockin’ and rolling

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PARTY FUN spread over roughly 18 metres: The MAN Bus Modification Center converted an articulated Lion’s City bus into a rolling discotheque. Its exterior design already re-flects the fun in pulling out all the stops: The hard-shell seats are gone, replaced by seating lounge, dance floor and bar counters. A solid quintuple 700-watt speaker performance and an organically shaped ceiling landscape with bright LED lights reflecting the beats provide the perfect environment for party animals. Going with the flow is also the bar vibe: Freshly tapped beer is served in glasses with magnetic bases, which in turn makes for secure standing on surfaces with mag- netic strips. Transparent refrigerators with drinks are just as much part of the onboard interior, as is a toilet, and patrons can post pictures from inside the disco bus via a social media monitor equipped with a camera. “These are shared and liked, just like our bus,” says Luc Reis, who developed and manages the disco bus for the Luxembourg-based company group Sales-Lentz.

Rockin’ and rolling

1. Surrounding LED lights in the lounge make for fascinating

visual effects. 2. Well chilled and freshly poured: no fuss in the

party bus. 3. An articulated bus from the Lion’s City production

series provides the basis for the disco vehicle. 4. Magnetic strips prevent any wobbling of

glasses on board.

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Parties in the disco bus on Facebook:

> www.facebook.com/partybusbySL

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WHEN PEOPLE ARE STUCK in emergency sit-uations, the rescue teams of Germany’s THW organisation are quick to respond. They not only locate and rescue afflicted humans, but also provide the necessary infrastructure, such as power supply and water supply, or the construction of bridges and roads. THW therefore enjoys a stellar reputation, both nationally and abroad.

To ensure that these volunteer helpers will continue to rapidly reach their sites of deployment in future, the procurement office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) awarded MAN a contract for the delivery of up to 210 personnel vehicles. These trucks are well-tested MAN TGM 18.290 models with 4x4 all-wheel drive, leaf-spring suspension at both front and rear axles, dual cabs, and a 4,200-millimetre wheelbase. The platform/canvas construction is equipped with a loading tailgate, supplied by the body expert Freytag Karosseriebau GmbH & Co. KG. MAN serves as the general contractor for the entire procurement project of the Ministry.

Holger Mandel, Chairman of the Manage-ment Board at MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland, stated that “we consider this major contract an extraordinary vote of confidence by the BMI. It represents yet another milestone in a long-standing business relationship and is both a motivation and an incentive for us to view customer focus as the highest priority when developing vehicles and servicing vehicles.”

New wheelsfor faster

rescue response

Rescue team vehicle: Germany’s emergency response organisation THW receives new MAN trucks to reliably perform rescue missions.

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BACK IN 1903 and upon the formation of the H. Büssing Specialfabrik für Motorlastwagen und Motoromnibusse, probably just one soul was able to envisage the brilliant triumph of this bus and truck manufacturer, namely the founder himself. For the mind of Heinrich Büssing, born in 1843, bubbled with ideas, win-ning almost 250 patents over the course of his 86 years of life. No wonder, then, that many of his inventions decidedly influenced the course of commercial vehicle history, includ-ing underfloor engines, pneumatic tyres and the double-decker bus.

175 yearswith a lion’s roar

At the time, Büssing’s innovations revolu-tionised the production of commercial vehicles, which led to his company beginning construction of 400 chassis for England as early as 1904, destined to serve as the sub-structure for the first upper-deck buses in London. Thereafter, 1924 witnessed the intro-duction of the world’s first three-axle bus with two powered rear axles. When MAN ultimately acquired the Büssing AG enterprise in 1971, this impressive history was passed on, always represented by the Büssing lion that has since characterised the vehicles’ radiator grilles.

From village blacksmith to an industry pioneer: Heinrich Büssing

1924 Büssing truck type IV GnL in the Brunswick production yard

Pioneer Heinrich Büssing, whose accomplishments significantly advanced the progress of the commercial vehicles industry, would have turned 175 this year.

LEONINE LOGO: In 1913, Büssing first began using the Brunswick lion to enhance marketing efforts. It soon became a trademark symbol and also adorned the Brunswick production site as of the 1920s.

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1924 A Büssing six- wheel bus parked in front

of the Berlin Reichstag

TRAILBLAZER IN ITS CLASSThe first Büssing six-wheel bus with two powered rear axles was also the world’s first three-axle bus built in series production.

FUN RIDE FOR 12 PASSENGERS: As of 1906, the public transport company Allgemeine Berliner Omnibus AG deployed the first motorised buses throughout Berlin.

1903 The first Büssing motorised truck

1904 The London double-decker bus

1906 One of the first Büssing buses in front of a police station in Berlin

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presence of MAN Truck & Bus in the Near East. The grand opening of this facility sym-bolises our aspiration to offer our customers first-rate, innovative products and services. And it also demonstrates the outstanding quality of the services provided by our part-ners at Al-Ahlia, who are continuously striv-ing to not just meet customers’ expectations, but rather to exceed them.”

The new MAN support centre also incor-porates a training facility, where employees take training courses to ensure ongoing im-provements in service quality. In cooperation with its partner Al-Ahlia, MAN Truck & Bus has been represented on the Kuwaiti market for 13 years and currently occupies a market share of roughly 35% in the truck segment.

AS THE EXCLUSIVE IMPORT COMPANY for MAN Truck & Bus in Kuwait, Al-Ahlia Heavy Vehicles Selling & Import Co. opened an ultra-modern flagship showroom, combined with a service centre. The new site occupies around 16,000 square metres in the heart of Kuwait’s industrial area. With some 4,000 square me-tres of workshop space, 1,750 square metres of warehousing and a parking area for trucks en-compassing 6,000 square metres, the new MAN support centre guarantees first-class customer service and makes a significant dif-ference in terms of spare-parts availability.

At the opening ceremony, Joachim Drees, Chairman of the Management Board of MAN Truck & Bus, said: “This new and state-of-the-art showroom is highly significant for the

Flagship showroom opened in Kuwait

Great partners: MAN CEO Joachim Drees (left) and Fahad Ali Alghanim of Al-Ahlia (centre) renew the excellent cooperation, joined by Franz von Redwitz, Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus Middle East.

Open and modern: the new sales and training building of MAN distribution partner Al-Ahlia

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THE NUMBER OF MAN VEHICLES sporting the distinctive red of regional buses operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB) is set to rise significantly in coming years. Between 2019 and 2022, up to 1,000 Lion’s City and Lion’s Intercity models can enter service at the regional bus companies of DB Regio AG. MAN’s offer proved convincing, both in terms of the vehicle specifications and in light of framework agreements with optional service contracts and the delivery of spare parts. “Never before has MAN’s German sales organisation won a framework contract of this magnitude. This marks an absolute record and is the successful outcome of fabulous work accomplished by our employees in bus sales and the After Sales depart-ment,” commented Holger Mandel, Chairman of the Management Board of MAN Truck & Bus Germany.

WITH THE HANDOVER of 36 new MAN vehicles, the freight for-warding firm TIL Logistics Ltd, which is based in New Plymouth, New Zealand, now operates the largest MAN fleet in Australasia, with a total of around 200 MAN trucks.

The 36 new MAN TGS trucks, in Euro 5 configuration and equipped with M cabs, and MAN TGX trucks, with an XL driver’s cab, will be deployed by the New Zealand freight carrier for various assignments, such as the transport of mineral oil. The maximum permissible weight of what is referred to as a “truck and trailer” team in New Zealand is 50 tonnes.

TIL Logistics in New Zealand stocks up on MAN for its fleet

Operated by TIL Logistics, this four-axle MAN TGS 35.540 8x4 BL truck-trailer carries 20,000 litres of diesel.

Record order from Deutsche Bahn

MAN TRUCK & BUS POLAND will deliver 140 MAN TGE 3.140 panel vans to DPD Polska, which signifies the largest order for the panel van in Poland to date. “We are proud of the fact that DPD Polska specifically decided to go with our brand,” says Grzegorz Rogalewicz, Head of Van Sales at MAN Truck & Bus Poland. Maciej Głowacki, Operational Director of DPD Polska, underlines the reasons for their choice: “We primarily went for the MAN pack-age because of its flexibility and the option of

DPD Poland opts for the MAN TGE

a precise configuration of vehicles tailored to our needs.” Another essential reason why DPD Polska would ultimately choose the van made by MAN is the vehicle’s high safety standards. The series-production MAN TGE comes equipped with an emergency braking assistant, for example, and offers great opera-tional comforts. Other features include air conditioning, automatic start-stop, an adjust-able steering wheel, as well as a driver’s seat suspension with massage functionality.

Around 250,000 visitors flocked to the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 trade show. Most attendees also visited the MAN stand, where the Munich-based automotive manufacturer presented a number of world premieres.

Crowd-pleaser: With its open-plan design and many attractive exhibits, the MAN stand drew great numbers of IAA visitors.

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stage. “MAN proudly presents the CitE!” This is a world premiere. The CitE is a concept truck – a fully electrical distribution vehicle with an ergonomic driver’s cabin, at least 100 kilome-tres of realistic range and a 360-degree cam-era system. The 15-tonne vehicle was devel-oped by a skilful team in a potentially record-breaking span of merely 18 months (see also page 22), and MAN intends to use the CitE as the basis for series-production models.

“A star is born,” declares the moderator – and in fact the MAN CitE will indeed be-come the absolute highlight during the next 10 days, for both trade attendees and the general public. “The CitE is more than just an

Cityliner and Skyliner buses on show, with the OptiView mirror replacement system.

H anover Trade Fair Grounds, in-side Hall 12. It is 11:30 in the morning, 20 September 2018,

when MAN’s Chief Executive Joachim Drees takes the stage. The oversized LED screens at the impressive multimedia exhibit reflect MAN’s key message in large letters: “Simplify-ing Business” is the main idea. “Our industry is at the crossroads of a radical transforma-tion,” states the CEO of MAN. “Which is why our customers are looking for guidance more than ever these days. Therefore, it is our task to provide understandable answers to complex questions.” Naming just a few of the challenges, be it digital services, autonomous vehicles or clean transport in megacities: Drees is convinced that “as a commercial vehicle producer, we are not part of the prob-lem, but rather part of the solution”.

PERHAPS JUST WISHFUL THINKING? Abso-lutely not. “One more thing,” announces the MAN CEO. Cue rhythmical techno beats, while light effects accentuate the scene and fog machines create additional drama. And then, a rather futuristic truck glides onto the

Making waves: The CitE concept vehicle, a delivery e-truck from MAN, celebrated its world debut at the IAA.

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We’re not part of the problem, but rather part of the solution.”Joachim Drees, Chief Executive Officer of MAN

Anne Skarke, vehicle fleet manager at Berlin’s public transport authority BVG, is delighted about the acquisition of eTGE transport vehicles.

80 %of all bus linesStudies have concluded that 80% of all urban bus lines could be operated on the basis of electric drives.

automotive concept – it is, rather, our answer to the requirements of goods transport in an urban setting,” explains Joachim Drees, MAN’s chief executive officer, during the opening press conference.

AT ITS IAA EXHIBIT, MAN has much more to

offer, however, such as an already deployable series-production vehicle for electric urban delivery operations. Right next to the CitE concept’s main stage, a gathering of new cus-tomers is therefore assembling around the display of an MAN eTGE, the fully electrical version of MAN’s first transport van. The group comes from the BVG in Berlin – one of the largest local public-transport authorities in Europe. Anne Skarke, group leader of BVG’s internal fleet, is delighted with the acquisi-tion of the first eTGE vans: “We intend to build up a green fleet, fully electrifying our workshop and construction site vehicles by 2025. The eTGE is one of the first e-vehicles meeting our requirements. With its plans for e-mobility, BVG aspires to also set an example for the private business sector in Berlin. And obviously, all of our e-vehicles are powered 100% by green energy.”

Generally, e-mobility emerges as the hot-test trend topic at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018, aptly demonstrated by MAN with its eTGE and eTGM vehicles (also see page 24). The prototype of the Lion’s City E municipal bus also attracts much attention. Launch Manager Florian Rott explains the high level of interest this way: “With the Lion’s City E, we complete MAN’s product range after efficient diesel and CNG buses have already met a

multitude of market demands. With our new urban e-bus, we are making the transition to e-mobility as easy as possible, always accord-ing to our ‘Simplifying Business’ credo.” Thus, MAN opted for depot charging from the plug for its electric city bus, through high battery capacity. The 12-metre version of the Lion’s City E, for example, features a battery capaci-ty of 480 kWh, which offers a reliable range of up to 270 kilometres. According to studies conducted by MAN Transport Solutions, this would enable municipal transport companies to operate 80% of their bus lines without any need for timetable modifications. “And an-other advantage: Our design eliminates the engine tower in the rear vehicle, which leaves space for four more passengers,” adds Rott.

SO IS ELECTRICAL THE ULTIMATE and only standard? Not necessarily. “Those seeking emission-free operations in public-transport systems can also opt for gas engines,” ob-serves MAN expert Viktor Schaub. He adds, “Provided that regenerative gas produced ©

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from biomass or wind power is utilised.” Whereby even conventional natural gas scores better on environmental footprint than diesel fuel. Therefore, MAN continues to invest in the continuous development of gas drives, presenting the latest generation of the Lion’s City G urban bus at the IAA 2018, which relies on the MAN EfficientHybrid start-stop system. City bus specialist Schaub explains the benefits of the innovative vehicle: “The bus comes with the new E18 gas engine, devel-oped on the basis of the D15 diesel units. The cubic capacity might be smaller than that of its predecessor, but actually features 100 Nm more in torque. Our customers can therefore cut fuel consumption at a higher operational range, without experiencing any reduction in performance.” In addition, the passenger space is fitted with LED partitions, which op-timise passenger flows during boarding and disembarking times through either green or red signals. Naturally, these are also available for vehicles with diesel or electric drives.

ALONGSIDE THE VEHICLES with alternative drives, conventional diesel trucks are obvi-ously still a major draw for the crowds. A large area of the exhibit is therefore dedicated to the TG series, which recently underwent a comprehensive update – as highlighted by an MAN TGS tank silo vehicle that particularly stands out as an innovative driver. The model on display comes with an exemplary new D15 engine, notable for its excellent balance between weight, production size and fuel con-sumption. In addition, the vehicle comes equipped with the innovative video turning system VAS, which favourably tipped the purchasing decision of Christian Schlögel, Managing Director of Bärnreuther Transport, based near Nuremberg: “For our drivers, nothing is as horrific as an accident involving bodily injur y, which is why we have already retrofitted our fleet with a turning system. The new TGS already comes standard with this safety feature – a truly important consideration for us.” And so Bärnreuther Transport signed a purchase agreement for six TGS heavy-duty trucks at the IAA show. “MAN vehicles are reliable and very well ac-cepted by our drivers,” reports Schlögel.

The Lion’s City E completes the range of alternative drives offered by MAN.” Florian Rott, Launch Manager for the Lion’s City E

The new video turning system VAS

provides a safer 360-degree view.

The new D15 diesel engine attracted a lot of attention among the trade audience.

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Besides innovative truck technology on display, the travel coach sector also show-cased a range of novelties. The NEOPLAN Skyliner and Cityliner models were presented with a new mirror replacement system. Cam-eras on both sides of the vehicle convey real-time images to two displays installed in the driver’s field of vision, thus eliminating the blind spot. “The MAN OptiView system offers numerous advantages: Close-range and wide-angle cameras offer the best possible 360- degree view, even in rainy conditions or at night. In addition, the system saves space and reduces air resistance, resulting in lower fuel consumption and reduced wind noise,” says MAN bus expert Fatih Pilevne.

SET UP BETWEEN THE ELECTRIC and natural

gas vehicles in one area of the exhibit and the equally impressive conventional trucks and buses on the other side, the MAN Digital Services team is available to answer any of the visitors’ questions. “In our applications, we are actually combining two worlds,” explains Product Owner Manfred Resch, presenting

the RIO Platform marketplace. “We currently offer around 15 services, supporting our cus-tomers in matters such as maintenance man-agement, efficiency analysis and freight tracking. Since August 2017, all of our Euro 6- compliant trucks have come from the produc-tion line supplied with the RIO box. As of today, around 70,000 vehicles have been fitted with the system, which will gradually replace the old MAN TeleMatics system. With the RIO box, we offer our customers access to digital added-value services, and are consist-ently moving towards the networked logistics of the future,” concludes the digital specialist.

The 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles trade show attracted 250,000 visitors, more than ever before. Beyond a doubt, the impressive performance of MAN turned out to be one of the major highlights at the trade event. A pleased Joachim Drees summed up his im-pressions: “We presented customised solu-tions to meet the needs of our customers. MAN aims to assist them in making their business simpler, more profitable and sus-tainable, and fit for a great future.”

400hp performanceis the level of output offered by the most powerful version of the new D15 engine, another premiere at the show.

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The completely electrical Lion’s City E has a range of up to 270 kilometres.

Find more information about MAN at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show 2018 at

> www.iaa.man

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Your key message at this year’s IAA was “Simplifying Business”. What exactly do you mean by that? Drees: The customer is at the centre of our activities, and our custom-ers are facing huge challenges due to all the transformational shifts towards alternative drives and digitalisation. We intend to simpli-fy business for our customers, providing ori-entation by taking them seriously as real partners. We aim to assist them in leading their enterprises into a more profitable, sustainable and stronger future. That’s what we mean by “Simplifying Business”.

From your point of view, what would be the most important development be-hind the rising complexity? Certainly the growing trend of urbanisation. More and more people are moving into cities, and the number of humans living in urban areas worldwide will have doubled by 2050. This means more individual traffic, more inner-city logistics, more noise, more congestion and more emissions.

What does this mean for MAN? It is our responsibility to find the right solutions, con-tributing to the preservation of the quality of life in our cities. For one thing is clear: As a manufacturer of commercial vehicles, we are not part of the problem, but rather part of the solution. We therefore focused strongly on last-mile delivery transport processes and de-veloped new products, including some truly innovative solutions.

And what are they? Our alternative drives. Our new E18 gas engine for municipal buses had its world premiere at the IAA 2018.

Simplifying business for our customers

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Looking towards change: The CEO of MAN promotes developments in the transport industry.

The mobility industry is facing enormous challenges. Alternative drives, automation and digitalisation are transforming many companies. MAN CEO Joachim Drees reflects on these trends in an interview.

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In combination with EfficientHybrid technol-ogy involving start-stop functionality, it rep-resents a big leap towards sustainable urban transport. It means less carbon dioxide, less noise and improved efficiency. This is an out-standing solution, which can already make a perceptible difference in cities here and now.

Naturally, we are also working intensively on e-mobility, developing an all-electric ver-sion of our MAN Lion’s City bus, for example. With a range of up to 270 kilometres and a charging time of three hours, it is perfectly adapted to the specific requirements of municipal transport operations.Are there also new developments in goods transport? Here we had two vehicles making their global debut at the IAA trade fair. Our electrical eTGE vans are the first fully electric series produced by MAN. They offer a capacity of up to 1.75 tonnes and a range of up to 160 kilometres – which makes them the perfect choice for end deliveries in the last mile. The other premiere is our MAN CitE, and we’re par-ticularly proud of that one. The electric con-cept truck sets standards in terms of work-place ergonomics, safety and sustainability in the context of urban delivery shipments.Let me offer a few examples: Drivers may climb into and out of their vehicles up to 30 times a day. In the CitE, we therefore designed the driver’s cab with wide doors, and the low-est entry height of its class. The 360-degree camera system offers a complete view of the surroundings, and eliminates the blind spot. And the CitE’s range of 100 kilometres is more than sufficient for a day’s tour in urban deliv-ery settings.

So how would the new drive concepts relate to “Simplifying Business”? That is easily answered. We are developing our vehi-cles along the lines of what customers need – and not merely through our internal CAD sys-tems either, but by working very closely, hand in hand, with customers. We provide them with vehicles so they can gather practical ex-perience, learning more about what works in practice and which aspects might need addi-tional attention, to be improved on. Our cus-tomers should be free to focus on their core

business, transporting passengers and goods. They shouldn’t have to worry about drive technology. That’s our domain.

What role does digitalisation play in this? We consider digitalisation an enabling factor, as it should also contribute to simpli-fying business processes for our customers. With our MAN DigitalServices Marketplace, customers can use something as simple as a smartphone app to book new services for a vehicle or even an entire fleet – which makes fleet management so much easier, for in-stance. Digitalisation also opens up new doors for shifting our company away from being merely a manufacturer of commercial vehicles, instead moving in the direction of becoming a supplier of smart and sustain- able transport solutions.

Automation is a very hot topic in the au-tomotive industry. What is the position of MAN in this matter? We actually are leaders in this field: Since June 2018, a convoy of two trucks has been shuttling on the A9 motor-way between Munich and Nuremberg. Through an invisible – in fact, a digital – cou-pling system, the truck in front controls the trailing vehicle, which follows at a distance of merely 15 metres. Partnering with our cus-tomer DB Schenker, we are the first automo-tive manufacturer worldwide to use this tech-nology on public roads and in the context of daily business operations.

Where do you personally see the larg-est challenges for the mobility industry? Sustainability will become a key issue and permanent fixture. Even in the long term, the diesel engine will still make an important contribution, especially in long-distance transport. We therefore are continuing in our endeavours to further optimise our proven technology.

The mobility of the future will be based on very different varieties of drive systems. At MAN Truck & Bus, it will be our role and responsibility to make this growing com-plexity more manageable for our customers. Thus, “Simplifying Business” stands for our challenge – and for our high standards – for many years to come.

We make complexity more manageable for our customers.”Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN

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e-mobility becomes an integral drive into the

Futu reAround the world, the mobility concepts of urban areas are undoubtedly changing. Instead of being a revolution, the necessary transition is rather an evolutionary one.

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While the shifting process from diesel applications to electric drives may ini-tially sound like a harsh break with technology tested and true for dec-

ades, the entire automotive industry is work-ing intensely along those lines. Yet what might appear a revolution, actually will proceed as a continuous development, believes Stefan Kretschmann, and will particularly impact public transportation services. “Obviously, the municipal transport authorities are facing im-mense political pressure to relieve cities as soon as possible, considering that reducing emissions such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, fine dust and noise are powerful incen-tives for drive changes,” says the project leader for the Lion’s City E at MAN Truck & Bus. “These developments, however, must also be implemented in an economically feasible fashion. All businesses and organisations are closely investigating overall expenditures, the total cost of ownership. And they will keep that factor under control only when not changing their vehicle pools overnight, but by

Further advancement in urban traffic: e-buses such as the Lion’s City E signify

the switch to e-mobility.

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further advancing and developing these fleets in continuous and manageable steps.”

AND TAKING PRECISELY THIS PATH towards e-mobility, Kretschmann and his team are currently developing the electric bus for urban traffic usage. “We closely investigated customer surveys and market research before even starting on our eBus development,” ex-plains MAN expert Kretschmann, “and later decided to focus on a comprehensive concept from the customer’s perspective.” Introduced just recently, the new city-bus generation therefore provides MAN with a solid basis for several reasons, for as a platform with a flexible modular system, the Lion’s City can be easily adapted to the requirements of e-mobility. Customers are already familiar with many aspects of this module-based de-sign system, which has become established and utilised. Therefore, customers find it eas-ier to immediately start working with the new electric vehicles. “Our strategy was to adopt as much as possible: axles, the interior, the driver’s work space and more. Therefore, not only the operator with previous driving expe-rience in a conventional MAN will easily adjust to our eBus, but also the mechanics in workshops and depots will know how to con-duct maintenance and repairs of the vehicles to a large extent,” says Kretschmann.

Obviously, there still are vast differences, such as the drive train. The electric engine is far smaller than its combustion version, which eliminates the engine housing in the rear left of the vehicle. “This is indeed an additional plus offered by the eBus, as we gain an additional four seats,” explains project leader Kretschmann.

THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE undoubt-

edly remains a high cost factor, however. “In most urban areas, it is far easier to launch a battery bus that is being charged whilst in its depot overnight, instead of introducing a sys-tem with repeated charging while en route,”

summarises Kretschmann. And not only because the charging infrastructure may be limited to the bus operation yards instead of installing charging stations all over the city. “The approval procedures are complex and arduous, with several local authorities and policy departments involved simultaneously in cities such as Munich.” Due to efficiency and time considerations, the battery-driven bus, with an operating range of one day, is the most sensible choice.

So MAN recognises a clear path ahead towards e-mobility in future public transport systems. Numerous interim steps will be tak-en, until the complete elimination of any city buses with diesel or natural gas drives. MAN expert Kretschmann knows: “Even as far off as 2030, about a third of vehicles operating in public transportation will still not run on electric power alone.” Yet neither policymak-ers nor urban residents must wait that long for environmental relief. Other than purely electrical drives, the MAN EfficientHybrid contributes to emissions reduction through its automatic start-stop system for diesel and combustion drives, for example. “With our wide portfolio, we are well positioned to sup-port public transport authorities during the evolutionary process of their bus fleets – with both well-established and new drives,” says a confident Kretschmann.

66 %of vehiclesdeployed in public transport services will be operating on an entirely electric drive basis by the year 2030.

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The Lion’s City E no longer requires the engine housing of diesel buses. This makes room for an additional four seats.

The man for all things electric: Stefan Kretschmann, Project Leader MAN Lion’s City E

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IN ANY EVENT, the municipal transport services in Sweden’s city of Uppsala intend to be prepared. Even before rising political pres-sure to reduce the emissions of its public bus services down to zero, Gamla Uppsala Buss (GUB) wishes to learn how the conversion from traditional diesel operations to e-mobil-ity might succeed.

“At the outset, we encountered numerous enquiries as to how the implementation of electrification could be accomplished,” re-ports Alexander Adler from MAN Transport Solutions. He is part of the six-person team headed by Stefan Sahlmann and advises busi-ness organisations as how to future-proof their mobility-planning strategies. “Many customers already have a clear vision in mind – yet are quite concerned about how to reach their goals.”

SO WHICH PREPARATIONS are needed in or-der to launch the services of the first electric bus? And how far must the internal organisa-tional infrastructure be adapted to this end? Where and how should the charging of a spec-ified number of buses take place and can the daily running performance target be reached even during the winter season, when the ve-hicles must also be heated? How will the con-version impact operational costs? Many ques-tions must be answered.

“Initially, higher investments are re-quired, including for the charging infrastruc-ture and the necessary power supply,” ex-plains the expert, Adler. For these measures ought to be undertaken for more than just the first vehicles to avoid the need for new con-ceptions with every additional public bus. “Our recommendation to the city of Uppsala was to gradually convert its bus fleet compris-ing roughly 150 vehicles to e-buses, starting

with the operational launch of 12 to 20 vehi-cles equipped with electric drives,” says the industrial engineer.

To ensure that the switchover in Uppsala can proceed without a hitch, Adler and his colleagues work together with customer ex-perts to thoroughly explore the local particu-larities. “We must consider the section route of every bus line to ensure that the e-bus can remain operational throughout an entire work day or one shift with merely one battery charge. We must therefore also pay attention to both route topography and passenger load averages for these vehicles – as well as the cli-matic conditions,” clarifies Alexander Adler. All these factors ultimately have an impact on the power consumption of vehicle operations.

“Most likely, the largest challenge for many transport organisations is the modifi-cation of their bus depots and service yards,” says Stefan Sahlmann, Head of MAN Trans-port Solutions. As e-buses usually need over-night charging in most urban areas to be ready for deployment the next morning, they require not only parking areas, but also charg-ing stations. “To this end, necessary invest-ments can easily reach sixty thousand to sev-enty thousand euros,” says Sahlmann. “Yet these are resources that do pay off in view of combining intelligent charging and power management, thus resulting in significantly lowered operations costs.”

Obviously, the most straightforward strat-egy is the construction of a completely new bus depot, which is currently underway in Uppsala. It involves not only the installation of charging stations, but rather incorporating the requirements of an e-based workshop as well – for the conversion to electric mobility also changes the service and maintenance processes for the vehicle fleet.

To the last detailThe desire to avoid costly mistakes whilst converting to e-mobility necessitates a long-

term perspective. In such an endeavour, MAN Transport Solutions offers support.

The largest challenge is the modification of bus depots.”Stefan Sahlmann, Head of MAN Transport Solutions

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BATTERIES ARE AMONG THE ESSENTIAL

components in e-mobility technology. Espe-cially when installed in e-buses, they must meet the highest standards, such as excellent operational vehicle performance, daily charg-ing cycles and energy throughput. Through-out the vehicle life cycle, however, battery capacity gradually declines and ultimately no longer meets the required range. As for the batteries installed in its eBus, MAN expects an utilisation span of at least six years. As city buses are usually deployed for an average pe-riod of 12 years, it should be expected that the batteries must typically be replaced just once.

Yet what happens with the batteries with residual utilisation potential before reaching their life-cycle limit? Immediate and direct disposal makes neither ecological nor eco-nomic sense. Thus, the public transport au-thorities Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH in north-western Germany and MAN Truck & Bus are working together to jointly test secondary usage within a stationary stor-age facility.

THIS SECOND-LIFE STORAGE is designed to prevent power consumption peaks during bus charging intervals, known as peak shav-ing, by filling the storage unit during off-peak

periods. “This not only saves costs, but also stabilises power grid utilisation,” explains Project Leader Alexander Adler. Further find-ings are expected with regard to the batteries’ ageing behaviour and the life cycles of future batteries, as well as regarding additional opportunities to stabilise the power grid through e-mobility. A prototype of the sta-tionary storage facility should be installed in Hamburg within the coming months.

Find more information about the switch to e-mobility:> www.bus.man.eu/de/en/man-world/man-stories/Emission-free-travel-through-Hamburg-280960.html

New lease on life after retirementThe public transport authorities of Hamburg-Holstein and MAN Truck & Bus are cooperating to investigate secondary applications for utilised battery storage units from electric bus systems.

Sustainable: MAN offers wide-scale management strategies for vehicle

batteries, from driving operations up to stationary energy storage.

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28

GAS FORWARDLocal transport authorities have been successfully

utilising natural gas drives for decades. They are found all over the world, from South Korea to France. At the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles trade show,

MAN presented its recently developed E18 gas engine.

The gas drive is both efficient and economical.”Gero Hildebrandt, Product Marketing MAN Bus ©

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W ith its roughly 10 million residents, Seoul is a boom- ing super-metropolis and

among the most densely populated cities in the world. Like all megacities, the South Kore-an capital is struggling to avert a breakdown of the transport system. Around 70% of persons in employment commute from the surround-ing country to the city. If you do it by car, you can expect to spend on average one and a half hours behind the steering wheel, according to figures supplied by the Transport Ministry. So naturally the authorities pin their hopes of a solution on local public transport, which is be-ing extended and modernised on an ongoing basis. And yet the 1,100 kilometres of under-ground and local rail networks are already fac-ing a massive volume of passengers, with three million users a day. But the lion’s share, as always, falls to the super-efficient bus sys-tem. There are 355 regional bus lines, and they are used by around 7 million Koreans daily. A key point is that for the sake of improving air quality, only environmentally friendly CNG

Before MAN entered the market, no low- floor buses with a gas engine were to be found in South Korea.

In South Korea’s capital, Seoul, only CNG buses are deployed – now including MAN-made vehicles.

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standards of comfort as an argument for con-vincing Korean bus companies. “Many buses in Korea are comparatively ancient. They aren’t seen as a transport facility for human beings, more as just a means to an end, a way of getting from point A to point B. But there has been a change of mentality – local public transport companies are increasingly coming to see the importance of passenger wellbeing, barrier-free access, and spaces for prams and pushchairs. Another thing is that until now, urban transport featured only high-floor and low-entry buses – so MAN’s modern low-floor buses with three doors really add up to a unique selling point. By contrast with our competitors, our CNG vehicles focus on the needs of passengers and drivers.” The ap-proach has paid off – at the end of 2018 MAN Truck & Bus Korea ordered more than 100 CNG buses, as a prophylactic measure against long delivery times from Europe. Carmen Fakler is convinced that the vehicles will find buyers in short order.

CNG METROPOLITAN BUSES made by MAN have been in service all over Europe for many years – whether in Paris, Copenhagen or War-saw, for example. Many transport companies will continue to rely on this tried and tested solution. Yet other cities still inclined to fa-vour conventional diesel drives are faced with a difficult choice today. Do they take the leap into e-mobility immediately, or should they go for alternative drives in the interim? Both forms of drive call for initial investments in infrastructure, which won’t pay off for a num-ber of years. So what is to be done? Gero Hilde-brandt, responsible for bus product market-ing at MAN Truck & Bus Germany, believes in a mixed-technology strategy: “Certainly, the mid-term trend is towards electric buses – which is why MAN presented the Lion’s City E at IAA 2018. But it still needs copious testing in real conditions to prove its reliability. And the switch to battery-powered drives will not really make sense until the shift in the direc-tion of ecological energy is complete.” Until this happens, gas drives will be able to dem-onstrate massive benefits for some time to come. CNG buses are highly reliable and eco-nomical, they meet Euro 6 standards and thus

320horsepoweris the performance level of the new E18 gas engine. Its simple modular design reduces service costs.

(compressed natural gas) buses have been per-mitted since 2010. The same applies to other big cities like Busan, Incheon and Daegu. In a sense, South Korea can be seen as the mecca for passenger transport by gas-powered bus.

FOR MANY YEARS the South Korean bus market was served exclusively by Korean manufacturers. The clearance and approval processes seemed too complex, with relation-ships between local suppliers and the trans-port companies also being too close. Since November 2017, however, MAN has managed to gain a foothold on the Korean peninsula, due to its proven environmentally friendly CNG drives.

Carmen Fakler, Project Manager in charge of MAN’s entry to the South Korean market, looks back on those first steps. “Our initial goal consisted in penetrating from the niche market into the mass market. That was why we started off with sightseeing and double-decker buses, which didn’t feature in our competitors’ portfolios. The next step after that was to develop and launch CNG buses for the mass market.” With over 30 CNG buses supplied in 2017, success was not long in coming. Fakler also counted on European

The new E18 gas engineNew benchmark in natural gas technology: The E18 is a 9.5 four-valve serial six-cylinder engine, which meets Euro 6 exhaust requirements.

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on the downsizing principle: The E18 can make do with 9.5 litres of cubic capacity, but – with its 320 hp and 1,400 newton metres – it delivers better performance than its E28 pre-decessor, while at the same time significantly cutting fuel consumption. Moreover the new gas engine, like the diesel generator set, can well be combined with MAN’s EfficientHybrid system – so the new engine is practically unbeatable in economic or ecological terms, especially when running on biogas.

THE FIRST MAN LION’S CITY buses with the E18 engine are due for delivery in September 2019. The buses run very smoothly and are ex-ceptionally quiet. And the increase in payload means that more passengers can be carried. The new bus can also show innovative fea-tures, like situationally illuminated partitions to optimise the flow of passengers. All these advances make MAN’s new buses eminently fit for the future.

are extremely clean, and by using climate-friendly gas from biomass or wind power they are practically carbon-neutral.

AS THE EUROPEAN MARKET LEADER for gas-powered municipal buses, MAN therefore is poised to write further chapters in the CNG success story. The important thing here, of course, is to meet changing customer require-ments, while simultaneously developing a new generation of vehicles, as explained by MAN expert Robert Staimer: “Since 2013, the E28 gas engine with Euro 6 compliance and 13-litre cubic capacity was our workhorse in the CNG sector. It did a good job for our cus-tomers during those years, but is now being replaced by the new E18.” Engineers at MAN’s Nuremberg motor works developed the E18 natural gas version on the basis of the new D15 diesel engine. “While the block is basically identical with both kinds of fuel, the bore is somewhat bigger. The natural gas engine has a 118-millimetre bore as opposed to the die-sel’s 115 millimetres, hence the type labels,” says Staimer. Here, its developers are relying

75 years of gas drivesMAN’S FIRST GAS-POWERED CITY BUS celebrated its debut back in 1943 and was deployed for public transport in Nurem-berg. Due to the shortage of raw materials in World War II, the pioneering vehicle ran on municipal gas, which was obtained from coal gasification. Over the following dec-ades, MAN continued to build on its experi-ence with natural-gas-powered vehicles. As early as 1972, athletes and spectators at the Summer Olympic Games were car-ried to venues in and around Munich by MAN buses with gas engines. Two decades later, the first MAN SL 202 public bus with a CNG drive went into regular service.

More information about the MAN Lion’s City G is available online at:

> www.man.eu/gasbuses

Every day, about seven million passengers use the bus system of Seoul. The East Asian nation is among the largest CNG markets worldwide.

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Perfectly sortedWorking from the underbody of MAN and NEOPLAN touring coaches, two new gear systems will be shifting power in future. Just a few trial kilometres render a clear verdict: This is excellence.

Progress can sometimes prove an elusive and even a finicky thing. Travel coach drivers may praise their TipMatic transmission for its smooth gears, and never for-get the frugal consumption of

the drive – yet the newly developed touring coach transmission system, again configured with 12 gears, can do everything better.

This, at least, is what MAN developers say. And they must know. After all, they have been testing it inside and out, in the sunny south and in wintry northern climes alike. The time for a new generation of gears had come, as the torque power of the latest MAN engines has grown significantly. The new TipMatic Coach transmission system allows for up to 2,800 newton metres. Moreover, the electronic controls of the engines and gears must also communicate with one another.

And here progress has made a great leap forward. All functions, including the

GUEST COMMENTARY by Wolfgang Tschakert, commercial-vehicle tester and freelance journalist

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proactive speed-management system, have been fine-tuned. And the gearbox computer now receives additional support from load and gradient sensors.

AND THAT ISN’T ALL. For tricky missions in the mountains, and on many urban routes, the coach product managers recommend the new automatic transmission system Ecolife Coach. For it makes starting up even easier, and changes the gears even faster – yet always with the proper comfort, which goes without saying. An automatic transmission with con-verter for a touring coach? With pleasure, if it can handle 2,300 newton metres input torque and offers low revolutions even in high-speed operation mode, just like the Ecolife Coach. The starting-up energy is staggering, with acceleration performance even more so. The 420-hp D26 six-cylinder engine inside the 13-metre-long NEOPLAN Tourliner reaches 80 kilometres per hour up to 8 seconds faster, compared with the tried and tested 12-gear TipMatic. Indeed, this level of progress can be experienced, heard and felt, when paying attention. And those permitted behind the wheel can enjoy the full privilege of driving a new NEOPLAN or MAN touring coach.

Covering the distance: The new TipMatic Coach automatic transmission is designed for the next and more powerful engine generation, with up to 2,800 newton metres of drive torque.

Demanding route: uphill, downhill, in tight serpentine curves – quite a

challenge for both bus and driver. Here, the new Ecolife Coach powershift

transmission is the right choice.

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More information about MAN’s gear systems available online at:

> www.man.eu/transmission

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To the Ends of the Earth

A journey of 4,700 kilometres through South America,

following the Pan-American Highway and the Carretera

Austral. Passing volcanoes and lakes, over endless dirt roads

and Andean passes. And all of it in a NEOPLAN Cityliner,

a fleet coach of tour operator World Wide Gruppenreisen,

based near Munich.

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Sounding almost too exotic to be real, the destination of this road trip is Ushuaia, in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province – the southernmost city in the world. Getting there by a coach ride

seems impossible, actually. Yet this assump-tion applies merely to homebodies, the per-petually hesitant. And certainly not to Avanti. Based in Freiburg in southwest Germany, the bus company is known for its spectacular and exceptional trips, making headlines as early as 2008 with a tour from Freiburg to Beijing, to To the Ends of the Earth

4,700 km southwardFrom the journey’s outset in Santiago de Chile to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, the NEOPLAN Cityliner and its passengers prove their ruggedness.

Bolivia

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Santiago de Chile

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Brazil

Hans-Peter Christoph (right), founder and managing director of Avanti, organises the trip through Patagonia with a coach provided by Konrad Pramsohler, head of World Wide Gruppenreisen.

City reflection in the Cityliner: the NEOPLAN coach in Santiago de

Chile, setting off for Ushuaia, at the far southern end of the world

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Ferry rides: When yet another stretch of water must be crossed en route to Tierra del Fuego, boarding and disembarking manoeuvres present special challenges for coach and driver.

Santiago de Chile

El Calafate

Salto del Laja

Caleta La Arena

Ushuaia

Valparaíso

Tierra del Fuego

later even circle the globe. And now it is sched-uled to explore the far ends of the world.

This excursion of contrasts sets off in live-ly Santiago, which is plagued by traffic jams, and ends at the barren, penguin-populated is-lands of Tierra del Fuego, almost in view of Antarctica. It would be plainly impossible to catch a coach ride heading further south on this planet. This journey comes with its own special challenges – whether for the memory cards of photographic equipment or for vehi-cle technology – as the landscape becomes all the more wild and road conditions turn ever more extreme the further south one travels.

GRAVEL TRACKS extending over hundreds of kilometres without a house in sight are just as typical as narrow thoroughfares winding through magical rainforests that barely ac-commodate the width of a coach. Interrupted, on rare occasions, only by some wooden bridge constructions that do not impart much confidence. And the weather continues to change. With blindingly bright sunshine one minute, incessantly stubborn wind gusts

As the cultural capital of Chile, Valparaíso invites a closer look.

Patagonia

Pampas

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will be whipping cold rain through the air just moments later. In any event, the wind keeps rattling the vehicle continuously, so steady steering remains a challenge that extends for hours – which makes merely reaching for a water bottle a carefully considered move.

UPON ARRIVAL IN USHUAIA , the Cityliner

has clocked almost 4,700 kilometres. On the vehicle’s right side, the outside mirror, the headlamp, luggage compartment lock and rear navigation light are all missing, fallen by the wayside. The opening mechanism on the back entry door is causing problems. And at some point during the long and dusty stretch-es, the 220-volt transformer has conked out. Everything else, however, is working just fine. The Cityliner’s chassis can handle the bad roads without a hitch, while its pace of

56,593residentsis the population of Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city and almost in sight of Antarctica.

80 kilometres per hour proves the ideal speed for the most rugged and rutted tracks in order to move ahead with a minimum of rattling. Just how driveable conditions actually are, remains a suspense factor throughout the entire journey, especially when rainfall the day before has caused chaos on numerous motorways. After all, the NEOPLAN coach is decidedly not a high-slung all-terrain vehicle, in contrast to the many mud-covered ones heading in the opposite direction, with annoyed-looking drivers at the wheel. Turn-ing around is not an option, for in the end, this very journey is its own reward. At the end of the day, the chore of cleaning the coach, scrubbing off the mud and clay that clings to the vehicle in vast patches, proves not quite as pleasant. Yet, day after day, there is no such thing as quitting: not on this trip, not for this group and not for this coach.

THE FERRY PASSAGES always present a challenge: Driving from Santiago to Tierra del Fuego requires the crossing of numerous riv-ers, lakes and fjords. Just about every ferry boarding and disembarkment process is an adventurous undertaking for the coach, for its few centimetres of self-powered hoisting potential is never sufficient. Only by placing thick planks underneath the wheels, can the vehicle actually make it onto the vessel. The ferry staff have plenty of practice, however, and the journey continues without a hitch.

Interestingly enough, two characteristics in this landscape evoke the imagery of road trips through northern Europe, particularly Norway: the constantly recurring ferry cross-ings, as well as the omnipresence of fjords. A marked similarity between two regions that could hardly be farther apart – another fascinating feature of Mother Earth.

A massive landslide in the south of Chile ultimately requires an unplanned, eight-hour overnight crossing via an unscheduled emer-gency ferry ride, to circumnavigate a stretch of blocked road. Passengers and drivers must spend the night on the ferry benches, which, fortunately, are even upholstered. Inside the ferry vessel, the captain has turned up the heat, as nights can be uncomfortably chilly. In addition, the ferry is not too crowded, so every

Through the wilderness on gravel roads: Upon crossing the Rio Palena in southern Chile, the vegetation evokes flashbacks of the science fiction film “Avatar”.

Teamwork: The passengers work together to clear a tree from the road, to continue their southbound journey in the NEOPLAN Cityliner.

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passenger has a bench to stretch out on and doze. Not a hint of annoyed grumbling is heard – there is no remedy for the whims of nature. All things considered, it is indeed as-tonishing – even delightful – to observe the perpetual enthusiasm passengers express for every day of this journey. Aside from the out-set of this trip amidst urban chaos, traversing the southern reaches of Chile and Argentina is an exploration of nature in its purest form. This might also explain why the mood aboard remains so decidedly upbeat, even on very long days of driving.

IN THE MORNING HOURS after the nightly ferry crossing, the alternative route follows roads lined with shrubs looking like gigantic rhubarb leaves, straight from a fairy tale. It evokes the imagery of the fictional Pandora, setting of the science fiction film “Avatar”, yet with only one difference: The Avanti tour group aboard the coach is right in the middle of real life.

All of a sudden, however, the ride comes to a halt on the rainforest road. A fallen tree blocks the way. Should emergency services be rung up? There are no human settlements for hundreds of kilometres around, and this means that telephone networks are also a scarcity. That’s why, under the direction of the tour guide, Eric, the group resorts to using

makeshift machetes borrowed from the bus pantry to hack a path through the blockage. Luckily, they only have soft wood to contend with, so the unscheduled stop lasts no more than 20 minutes.

While the travellers still feel last night’s ferry ride in their bones, the tour director promises the late-afternoon arrival at a lodge, likely to wipe out any memories of hardship. The Hotel Termas de Puyuhuapi & Spa lies in the midst of natural hot springs and its guests would not have minded a longer stay. Yet the journey continues, as it is still a few more days before reaching Ushuaia. The rainforest gives way to Argentina’s pampas – a grass-covered steppe terrain.

In the wild: Heading for Patagonia allows for the observation of creatures such as guanacos,

otherwise only experienced in zoos.

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And once again, unfathomable contrasts: Upon crossing the border to Argentina, winds rise up that will not relent until the journey’s end. These gusts remorselessly tug at jackets, attempt to tear sunglasses from people’s heads, and blow the omnipresent sand into every nook and cranny. As the rainforests are left behind, an incredibly vast landscape opens up. To the left and right of the partially repaved, yet often dusty, Route 40 – the Argentinian leg of the Pan-American Highway – there is nothing but a vista of barren prairie land extending for days. Even the mountains have retreated to the distant horizon. Brilliant sunshine alternates in an hourly rhythm with rain showers, until Punta Arenas, on the Strait of Magellan, finally comes into view.

This strait separates the mainland of the South American continent from Tierra del Fuego – that magical archipelago of islands representing the last human bastion before Antarctica. Ushuaia also marks the end point for the famous Pan-American Highway, which begins in Alaska. This also is the final destina-tion after roughly 4,700 kilometres by coach. After visiting a penguin colony by speedboat, it is time to go home. The coach remains behind in Tierra del Fuego, for the next tour group is already on the plane from Germany to South America, anticipating their own Patagonia experience aboard the Cityliner.

Down south, animals are in the majority. White-bellied shags feel right at home here.

Landmark guides: Along the ragged coastline of South

America, lighthouses offer essential positional information.

Eternal ice: The Perito Moreno Glacier

counts as one of the most impressive landscapes

in Argentina.

40

Family ties on the move

From Germany’s far west out into the world: For 90 years and three generations, the Graf clan from Herne has been setting people in motion.

Aboundary stone marks the ex-act midpoint of Germany’s Ruhr region. It sits in Herne-Röhlinghausen, where 51 de-grees, 31 minutes and 3 sec-onds north latitude intersect

with 7 degrees, 8 minutes and 42 seconds east longitude. Just a stone’s throw away lies the 25,000-square-metre depot yard of Graf’s Reisen. For nine decades, this family business has had its roots in what used to be the main mining centre of western Germany.

Fit for the future: Anja Graf aboard one of the ten new

NEOPLAN touring buses, acquired for the company’s

90th anniversary.

TODAY, THE GRAF ENTERPRISE is jointly managed by family members Arno Graf and Michael Thüring. Together with the author-ised officers Maike Graf-Thüring and Anja Graf, both granddaughters of company founders Anton and Mathilde Graf, they organise and supervise the operations of 109 vehicles. The third generation of this family of entrepreneurs is now sitting together in one of ten new NEOPLAN travel coaches, which the touring company added to its fleet in 2018 to mark its 90th anniversary. ©

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Owner oversight: When it comes to inspections, even a member of

the Graf family gets down into the workshop pit.

merchants, at night. Eventually the customer base grew, as did the number of vehicles, so more staff was needed.” So in 1935, the depot yard, located at what today is Edmund-Weber-Straße, was home to seven buses, two trucks and numerous trailers bearing the Graf logo – merely seven years after setting up shop. The outbreak of World War II, however, changed everything dramatically, as air raids greatly afflicted the company. After one bom-bardment hit a bus and set it on fire, Anton Graf did not hesitate for a second. As the vehi-cle threatened to explode, he drove it off the company grounds onto an empty market-place. A most fortunate outcome, and he was lucky to have survived. Once the war had end-ed, however, the Graf family, like so many oth-ers, faced a life in ruins – and had to start again from scratch.

“IT WAS SOLIDARITY that got the company off the ground again,” states Maike Graf-Thüring. “Within the family, the credo re-mained: ‘We can do this together!’ Without this sense of unity, rebuilding everything would have been out of the question.” Not just family members and friends remained dedi-cated, but previous customers also proved loyal, and Graf ’s Reisen soon carried more goods and passengers once again. Once peo-ple residing in the Ruhr region were increas-ingly traveling to other European countries, starting in the mid-1950s, the touring busi-ness expanded. Yet even at its home base, the company kept things moving. In what were known as “black buses”, regular shuttle ser-vices carried mine workers from their chang-ing areas to the mines and back again. “At the end of the day, these black buses had to be sprayed out with steam jets to get them clean again,” says a smiling Anja Graf.

Meanwhile, the second Graf generation was growing up. Bitten by their own travel

Outside, the summer sun has made this a hot day even in the mid-morning, but the quietly humming air-conditioning system keeps the ultra-modern coach at a pleasant 21° C. The Grafs face a wooden box on the table, filled with memento photographs. This is a good opportunity for a retrospective view.

“It all began with a multi-purpose truck owned by our grandfather,” says Anja Graf, launching into the eventful family saga. And her cousin Maike Graf-Thüring continues the tale: “While he transported passengers during the daytime, he would transport goods for butchers, as well as for fruit and vegetable

Fabulous fleet: Sunday outing with the local band and choir, back in 1931.

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bug, Anton Graf ’s sons Arno and Werner themselves took to the steering wheel as often as possible, starting in the 1950s. And not just to countries such as Italy, Spain and France, either – Scandinavia and Morocco be-came popular destinations as well. Especially trips to northern Africa were still quite an adventure at the time. As boarding houses, hotels and car parks were all too expensive, passengers would sleep in tents erected around the coach, guarded at all times.

“COACH TRAVEL CUSTOMERS can’t be com-pared to other customers in the tourism busi-ness,” says Maike Graf-Thüring. “They value human contact. As a family-owned company, we want to create a sense of familiarity for everyone, including our patrons.” The fact that Graf’s Reisen is now among Germany’s largest tour organisers, employing a staff of 340 and carrying 2.5 million passengers a year, is the result of more than just hard work. “In a family business, fellowship and loyalty are a key factor,” says Anja Graf.

Which raises a question: What is daily in-teraction like, when work and private life are so closely intertwined? “Just as in any family company, it is hard to avoid taking things home with you,” says Maike Graf-Thüring. “We do try to keep a lid on it as much as we can, but that doesn’t always work, considering that this is a 24/7 operation.” Her husband adds: “At mealtimes, our children sometimes comment that we should refrain from talking about the business again. And then we just change the subject.” Anja Graf: “It’s probably a better constellation that Maike and I are cous-ins, so we have a bit more emotional distance than if we were sisters. Our relationship works well. And at the end of the day, we always re-main a family.”

The Grafs have always remained loyal to this philosophy, for they also maintain close relationships with their business partners. Graf Tours and NEOPLAN, for example, go

Heading the successful family business: Anja Graf, Michael Thüring and Maike Graf-Thüring (left to right)

We’ve always been impressed by the quality and progressive nature of NEOPLAN.” Anja Graf, authorised officer of Graf’s Reisen

back a long way. As long ago as 1961, the travel company’s fleet included a type Hamburg model, and today there are many more of that brand: 16 NEOPLAN Cityliners, six Starliners, three Skyliners, as well as NEOPLAN and MAN buses for local transport services are part of the team. “Even while NEOPLAN was still a family business, we felt a very close connec-tion,” says Anja Graf. “We share a long history. and sometimes agreements would still be sealed with a handshake. And if there ever was an issue, we would find a solution quick-ly.” Maintaining close ties to the region has also remained a heartfelt stance for the Graf family. On their business grounds, large

Maike Graf-Thüring first trained as a car mechanic, and later received a degree in mechanical engineering.

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events are organised on a regular basis – most recently in April 2018, to mark the occasion of the company’s 90th anniversary. A colourful entertainment programme with fairground rides, food stalls and group activities drew 25,000 visitors of all ages. “We primarily in-tended to make this a celebration festival for people in our Ruhr region,” says Maike Graf-Thüring. “Considering that business opera-tions had to be temporarily relocated, it was quite an effort. But these festivals are part of our tradition, and we love nurturing that.”

A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS is important to the Graf family, which extends to assuming responsibility and includes a solid regard for safety. It is front and centre for this private business, especially when it concerns the wellbeing of staff and passengers. It therefore is no coincidence that the firm operates one of Germany’s youngest and most modern touring bus fleets, and safety standards are carried well into the future by the recent ac-quisition of ten new NEOPLAN travel coaches. “We’ve always been impressed by the quality and progressive nature of NEOPLAN,” declares Anja Graf. “The multitude of safety and com-fort features – including the lane guard sys-tem, adaptive cruise control, electronic damping control and emergency braking sys-tem – all assist our drivers in their daily jobs.”

Tradition, team spirit and loyalty – all these endearing characteristics are as typical for the Ruhr region as football, curried sau-sage and industrial heritage. Apparently, the success story of Graf’s Reisen will be enriched by new chapters. Already established for sev-eral years, the partnership with long-distance operator FlixBus is set for expansion and would set the mark for another successful 90 years in the making. “We wish for a long continuation of this company, with excellent opportunities for our staff,” says Thüring. And that is a unanimous vote from the Graf family council.

Proud of his NEOPLAN buses: Even in the office, Michael

Thüring keeps a watchful eye on the bus and coach fleet of

Graf’s Reisen.

Back in 1961, a coach type Hamburg was the first NEOPLAN to join the fleet of Graf’s Reisen.

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N othing endures but change, and thus it is essential to set the course for an opportunity-rich

future at an early stage. This is a topic that also concerns logistics experts. After all, ever more densely populated living spaces must be ser-viced and provided for, without negatively im-pacting the residents’ quality of life due to fine dust and nitrous oxide emissions, for example. This is no small undertaking, considering this century’s challenges such as urbanisation, changing mobility patterns and a new energy era. Smart ideas are needed, ideas that will al-low for the harmonious interaction of urban logistics and city life. Therefore, not just eco-nomical forces, but also local authorities and citizens alike are facing immense challenges.

As these can only be met and mastered on the basis of cooperation, a group of more than 30 participants – comprising citizens, politi-cal decision-makers and experts – attended a number of co-creation workshops after being asked by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and MAN Truck & Bus to devise potential strategies for the year 2030. This joint effort resulted in the study “What Cities Want”, four exciting scenarios illustrating how logistics of

In partnership with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, MAN Truck & Bus paves the way into the future: More than 30 citizens, political decision-makers and experts were asked to refine their ideas for city logistics in 2030. The result: four interesting scenarios that make tomorrow an enthralling prospect.

Collaborationfor years to come

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the future can be shaped in a way that is in the interest of customers, the environment and energy-saving strategies alike.

Joachim Drees, Chairman of the Board of Management at MAN Truck & Bus, is well aware that the implementation of such strat-egies also requires the participation of the business world: “In our role as manufacturer, it behooves us to configure the transport of people and goods in a more sustainable fash-ion,” explains Drees. According to the CEO, especially in the area of freight transport, various topics are now addressed simultane-ously, among them the cloud-based platform Loadfox, which is manufacturer-independ-ent. It ensures that any parties involved in the logistics ecosystem remain continuously connected with each other. “Thus, the flow of goods has become truly transparent for the very first time,” says Drees. “With this ser-vice, we increase the capacity utilisation of trucks and avoid empty runs.” Reducing overall traffic volume, however, is also a cen-tral cornerstone in passenger transport. “As bus manufacturers, we regard buses as one of the most efficient means of transport and continuously expand our range through attractive products and solutions.”

IN ANY EVENT, excellent ideas are already open to debate. The study’s first scenario, for instance, investigates the municipal manage-ment of deliveries, which handles delivery op-erations through an urban logistics service. In this model, the competition of courier service providers would be removed, with logistics becoming a public responsibility, akin to the power supply or city cleaning. Before consign-ments reach their final destination, they would first be sent to “maxi-logistics-centres”

79 %of all residentsin Germany will be living in urban areas by 2030. On a worldwide scale, city populations will make up 60%.

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Space and time for creativity: Scenarios for transport solutions

covering the last mile were developed in a number of co-creation workshops.

In our role as manufacturer, it behooves us to configure the transport of people and goods in a more sustainable fashion.”MAN CEO Joachim Drees

Indispensable tool: coloured pens and pencils for the visualisation of new ideas

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and sorted by city quarters and street groups via the assistance of radio chips. The delivery process would then take place through an electrically powered and fully loaded delivery vehicle. As this scenario is based on already established technology, it could be realised quickly and quite cost-effectively.

IN THE SECOND SCENARIO of the study, civic activity plays a crucial part. City councils would establish incentives to encourage the collaboration of purchasers and suppliers – perhaps through higher taxes imposed on uncooperative delivery services, or rewards when residents choose to submit group orders. When such orders are placed, cooper-ative delivery companies would supply mini-centres in the various urban districts, from which the goods would be carried to their destination by e-bike, or else picked up from the delivery centre in person. Indeed a clever idea, as it involves the utilisation of already existing resources, increasingly backed up by small-scale solutions, such as mini-hubs and delivery bicycles.

Also intriguing is the third futuristic sketch, which combines passenger and goods transport. In this scenario, cities and munici-palities would join together and commission commercial vehicle manufacturers to supply them with a solution and new vehicles to match. These would ultimately improve the public transport of passengers and goods, by combining what both have to offer. Autono-mously moving short-distance vehicles could also be used for goods deliveries, for example. As soon as the vehicle reaches an intermedi-ate depot, the packages would be automatical-ly unloaded at great speed. Courier services would then take the packages to their intend-ed destinations. A practical side effect would be the expansion of public passenger trans-port, as the vehicles are deployed more frequently and cover an increased area. Even private purchases would no longer need to be carried home – the shopping could be dropped

into the system at the stopping points, to be delivered to the recipient directly.

TRULY FUTURISTIC is the fourth scenario, whereby persons and goods would be carried underground, disappearing from the surface altogether. The crucial element here is the municipal underground system, which would be managed and continuously extended by a central office. Deliveries would be carried to the most convenient underground station or even transported to the recipient’s basement, ready for collection. It becomes much quieter on the surface: buses will be abolished, with the streets left to bicycles, e-bikes and a few private taxis. A radical idea, certainly. As for its feasibility, rather an open question.

Nonetheless, these formulated scenarios show just how much can be achieved by team-work and bringing together different schools of thought. They also highlight the essential importance of cooperation for bringing about a better future. “Personally, I like living in the city,” says Drees, “and I enjoy all of its oppor-tunities. And the outcome of this study pinpoints exactly that no matter what the challenges, living in an urban setting is still a very attractive option.”

60 %of revenues generated by e-commerce in Germany in 2017 came from communities with fewer than 50,000 residents. Online shopping is especially important for small towns.

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Throughout the creative process, espressos, pens and paper assist in refining and improving the evolving scenarios.

Open for discussion: Interim results also require continuous

review and evaluation.

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