- MAN Truck & Bus is set to be the first major European OEM to bring a fully-electric long-distance coach to market, with its newly-revealed Lion’s Coach E set to start series production from 2026.
- Other manufacturers, such as Scania and Volvo Bus, are yet to put their own examples of fully-electric long-distance coaches into series production.
- Whilst public transport fleets across Europe are already adopting urban-focused electric buses in large numbers, MAN’s new coach will help make longer-distance zero-emission coach travel a reality.
Introducing MAN’s first fully-electric coach
Whilst we’ve already seen electric coach deployments elsewhere, such as with a collaboration between ETO Motors and FlixBus in India, MAN Truck & Bus will be one of the first major European OEMs to bring a long-distance electric coach to market, with such models from other manufacturers yet to be confirmed or revealed.
MAN has already sold over 2,500 electric buses worldwide under its shorter-range, city-focused ‘Lion’s City E’ range, and this upcoming coach will mark the first entry by MAN into the growing electric coach market. The new options will be unveiled at Busworld Europe later this year, before production begins in Turkey from 2026 – with initial customer deliveries coming soon after. When it comes to MAN’s current urban bus sales in Europe, over 50% of those sold so far this year were fully-electric. That’s an impressive achievement, and likely a figure the manufacturer will want to replicate in its coach sales figures.
The Lion’s Coach E range will have the option of battery pack capacities ranging from 356 kWh to 534 kWh, with the latter offering up a fully-charged range of 650 kilometres (403 miles). With that in mind, MAN says initial target customers will be coaches on short to long-range journeys. But, with coach drivers already requiring mandatory rest breaks, longer-distance trips will still be feasible with adequate charging infrastructure in place – much like we’re starting to see on the electric HGV side. Charging speed will start at an impressive 375 kW, but further down the line, MAN is already looking to implement megawatt charging to these models, allowing for speeds of up to 750 kW.
The initial model to be launched will be the Lion’s Coach 14 E, a three-axle coach capable of carrying 61 passengers. Different sizes and variants will be rolled out in the months and years after.
Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, commented:
“Our e-coach marks the beginning of a new era of emission-free and low-noise travel that many customers have been waiting for. We are delighted to be at the forefront here and to be putting such a dynamic and innovative coach on its wheels.”
