MAN is a further coach manufacturer to give a look at the future after unveiling both the 2024 model year Neoplan Tourliner, and early details of its line of thought for the future of coach powertrains post-Euro VI, including zero-emission.
An overhauled cab area as part of satisfying the European Union General Safety Regulation (GSR) and cybersecurity requirements is key to MY2024 Tourliner. That legislation led to the creation of a new electrical and electronic platform for MAN coaches, and it is coupled to an engine update. The latter gives the 12.4-litre D26 an additional 10bhp and 50Nm of torque, and a claimed 2.5% drop in fuel consumption.
The D26’s peak outputs will thus be 520bhp and 2,650Nm, although 430bhp and 470bhp ratings will also be available; the latter two will be compatible with the ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox, while the automated manual Traxon will be offered across all three settings.
Work done so far leaves MAN confident in a long-term future for the Tourliner against a backdrop that will later see closer work on diesel with fellow Traton subsidiary Scania. Movement on zero-emission will also come sooner than may have been expected.
At the heart of diesel’s future is the D30 unit, which will deliver eventual Euro 7 compliance. It is set to displace the D26, with production expected to start in 2024. Preparation is underway at MAN’s Nuremberg plant to build the D30 as part of a common Traton 13-litre platform. The block, at least, will also be used by Scania, the German manufacturer has confirmed.
MAN expects to satisfy Euro 7 in 2027, although requirements there still lack clarity. A representative present at the MY2024 Tourliner debut suggests that Euro 7 legislation may be delayed beyond then, with 2029 being mentioned by another source. 2027 was first proposed by the European Commission, but it has since been described as “too ambitious and even unrealistic” at working party level.
MY2024 Neoplan Tourliner has all-new MAN cab
Drivelines aside, the revised cab area for MY2024 Tourliner will incorporate various new technology, although MAN notes that the passenger experience is unchanged.
Nevertheless, Head of Product Marketing, Bus, Heinz Kiess describes the coming iteration as “a big step” from the current Tourliner. Heinz notes that changes under the skin to satisfy GSR are “massive,” adding that what the OEM describes as a digital cockpit is, it believes, best-in-class.
Legislative requirements are front and centre with the cab overhaul, including enhanced radar-supported turn assistance to the nearside and front. Lane Change Support is optional, but when specified, it brings turn assistance for the offside in addition. Collision warning and pedestrian detection are improved, as is Emergency Brake Assist.
The coach can now recognise speed limit signs, and a brief trip on a seed MY2024 Tourliner proved that it is not shy about letting the driver know audibly when they are ignored.
Much else debuts for MY2024. The dash binnacle is now LCD, upon which dials and messages are generated. Notably, the tachometer on the right is laid out in an anticlockwise arrangement. When combined with the speedometer on the left, that maximises space for messages to be displayed in the centre.
The steering wheel is multifunctional with various buttons and thumbwheels, and much enhanced scope for adjustment. It sits alongside a SmartSelect twin rotary push-button unit. SmartSelect controls various functions, including the new infotainment system and satellite navigation. “This system is an absolute innovation in the segment and is otherwise found only in premium [cars],” MAN says.
MY2024 bids farewell to fabled Tourliner touchscreen display
Because of those developments, the Tourliner’s trademark touchscreen multimedia unit is gone for MY2024. Its removal means that the driver’s need to take their eyes off the road to active controls is eliminated. MAN now acknowledges that a touch-screen arrangement “is not ideal for operation of important functions in a commercial vehicle.”
Also debuting as part of the new electronic platform is an electric handbrake. It is taken from MAN’s trucks. Significant redundancy has been built in, the OEM says. The handbrake releases automatically, although a lever is present for manual use. It applies automatically when the engine is switched off.
EfficientCruise 3 will also come for MY2024. It is a further development of the established GPS-based topography sensing gearshift programme that is available exclusively with the Traxon gearbox. The latest iteration improves terrain detection and adds infrastructure parameters such as accidents, roundabouts and the like up to three kilometres ahead. It will cut fuel consumption by 1%.
MAN zero-emission coach in 2025: Will it be a Tourliner?
MY2024 for the Tourliner is built on diesel power, and that energy source is secure for the long-term via the D30. But MAN is also looking to zero-emission for its coaches. In a headline announcement, it says that the first such battery-electric example will be ready for testing in late 2024 ahead of a debut in 2025. It is not yet decided whether that first vehicle will be an MAN Lion’s Coach, or a Neoplan Tourliner.
That shift will come in parallel with a new generation of batteries that Heinz says will be “a huge step” from current energy storage, and deliver advances in efficiency, size, and weight. MAN is aiming for a range of around 400km on that first battery-electric coach, although it accepts that zero-emission models universally suitable for high-mileage work are much further away.
Batteries will be produced at MAN’s Nuremberg plant, and information shared on developments there suggests that later, capacity for heavy vehicles to suit long-distance applications could reach 800kW/h.
Hydrogen is also on the agenda. Work at Nuremberg in partnership with a local technical university involves both fuel cells and combustion. In the latter case, a large H45 engine is under development and has entered the testing phase. It is a six-cylinder unit that promises up to 520bhp, although MAN notes that the H45 is “under review.”
While that work is ongoing, the manufacturer sees hydrogen as an eventual bit-part player in zero-emission. Heinz expects it to ultimately occupy around 10% of the coach market. “The most potential is in batteries,” he continues. But that is contingent on sufficient charging infrastructure. Assistance, and subsidy, from governments is key there.
“When we have common laws in Europe, and charging is available for coaches, buses, and trucks, that will give us a ‘closed network’,” he says. In particular, availability of sufficient power to fully replenish batteries within the statutory 45min driving break time is key. “Then, we will have no disadvantage to diesel.”
MAN Head of Bus Barbaros Oktay underlines that expected dominance of battery-electric in the zero-emission coach sphere. He points to engagement work already done with MAN customers as having given the reason why under current circumstances.
“They are focused on total cost of ownership (TCO); it is by far the most important thing. Of course, we will have credible options for hydrogen, but for a long time we do not see it overtaking batteries on TCO.”
MAN zero-emission buses to come to the UK?
While development of the Tourliner and zero-emission plans for coaches are of greatest relevance to MAN’s passenger market presence in the UK, it is closely watching the battery-electric bus sector here, Head of Bus Barbaros Oktay tells routeone.
In particular, MAN recognises that the UK – thanks to respective government funding in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland – leads Europe in the scale of deployment of those vehicles. Barbaros is clear that he wants to bring MAN into contention there, although he accepts that the market is already competitive.
Further work in that regard is expected soon, including a visit of MAN executives to the UK. Barbaros notes that in other congested markets, MAN is growing its market share. “Figures show that the bus market is recovering very well, but we are recovering faster,” he explains.
What remains to be decided for any introduction of MAN battery-electric buses to the UK is whether the OEM will adopt a whole-vehicle approach, or a body-on-chassis policy in collaboration with a bodybuilder partner. Already, right-hand drive battery-electric chassis have been built and bodied for use in Singapore. Barbaros highlights that as an indication of what is possible for the UK.
As a potential alternative, MAN will shortly introduce the complete Lion’s City 12 E LE (pictured, above). Unlike the conventional fully low-floor Lion’s City, the LE example is a low-entry variant with a raised rear section. It could suit UK requirements.
