- MAN Truck & Bus is the first European manufacturer to launch a fully electric coach on the market
- MAN Lion’s Coach 14 E to celebrate its premiere at the “Busworld Europe” trade fair in Brussels in October 2025
- Start of series production is planned for 2026 at the Turkish MAN plant in Ankara
- Range of up to 650 kilometers for a wide range of applications
MAN Truck & Bus is the first major European manufacturer to launch a fully electric coach: the Lion’s Coach E. Following the success of the Lion’s City E family for urban and intercity use, with more than 2,500 eBuses sold since 2019, the company is now focusing on the electrification of coach transport at an early stage.
MAN is using the proven drive technology from the successfully series-produced eTruck as well as innovative NMC battery packs, which are mass-produced at the Nuremberg plant. The Lion’s Coach E has an energy capacity of 356 to 534 kWh with a range of up to 650 kilometers. Its smart design concept reduces the drag coefficient (Cd value) to 0.31 and thus to a value in the range of compact SUVs. Europe’s first eCoach also leaves nothing to be desired in terms of space: Up to 61 passengers can travel comfortably in it – and with no restrictions in terms of luggage volume compared to its diesel counterpart.
The Lion’s Coach E is set to celebrate its premiere at the “Busworld Europe” trade fair in Brussels in October 2025. The start of series production is planned for 2026. “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,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.
MAN eCoach follows consistent zero-emission strategy
To take account of environmental and climate protection, MAN is working with its customers to promote sustainable mobility. The company is pursuing a clear zero-emission strategy and has already been successfully on the road for six years with the Lion’s City E family for urban and interurban areas. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, sales amounted to a total of 283 electric buses, which corresponds to more than 50 percent of the city buses sold by MAN in Europe. Consequently, MAN is also focusing on the electrification of coach transport. The MAN Lion’s Coach E meets both social requirements for climate protection and customer wishes for sustainable travel.
Series production is scheduled to start in 2026 at MAN’s Turkish plant in Ankara, which has been successively converted to eMobility in recent months. “The realignment at the site in Ankara is an important part of MAN’s transformation into a provider of sustainable transport solutions,” emphasizes Oktay. In the run-up to series production of the eCoach, an “early fleet” is to go to selected pioneering customers in the European core markets next year.
Wide range of applications: from shuttle services to city trips
In the first stage of the development of the vehicle and public charging infrastructure, the preferred areas of application for the MAN Lion’s Coach E will be short and medium distances with a range of up to 650 kilometers. This includes shuttle services, works transport and city trips. “The eCoach is also a real opportunity for coach tourism to reach new target groups for whom sustainability is also a key factor in travel planning,” says Heinz Kiess, Head of Product Marketing Bus. In particular, because with a CCS charging capacity of up to 375 kW in conjunction with the driver’s statutory driving and rest periods, a similar usage profile to a diesel bus is already possible today. With the megawatt charging infrastructure (Megawatt Charging System, MCS, up to 750 kW) already under development, the areas of application for electric coaches are also set to expand even further towards long-distance travel in the future.
Proven vehicle concept and dynamic design
The basis for the eCoach is the tried-and-tested Lion’s Coach, which was unveiled in 2017. In the first step, the eCoach will hit the road as a 13.9 m long, compact three-axle vehicle with a maximum technically permissible gross weight of 27.3 tons. Up to 61 passengers can travel comfortably in it – with no restrictions on luggage volume from a minimum of 11 to a maximum of 13 cubic meters. Following the electric Lion’s Coach 14 E three-axle coach, MAN will be rolling out further models in the coach segment step by step until the turn of the decade.
You can see at first glance that the MAN eCoach is an innovative vehicle. The pioneering “Smart Flow Design” sets new standards. The Lion’s Coach E combines smart design with optimum aerodynamic efficiency and innovative details. The aerodynamic precision work of the MAN design team reduces the drag coefficient (Cd value), which is important for coaches, from 0.34 to 0.31 – an impressive value that also has a positive effect on the range. But the “inner workings” of the coach are also ultra-modern. The innovative digital cockpit with intuitive MAN SmartSelect operating concept fits seamlessly into the Lion’s Coach E. The absolute driver orientation and the extended assistance systems ensure greater comfort and safety.
