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Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2024

12-11-2024 – 13-11-2024 – Eisenach, Germany

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Look back 2023

Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023

Carbon Neutrality and Sustainability in Focus

18th International MTZ Conference on Heavy-Duty Engines
07-11-2023 – 08-11-2023 – Nuremberg, Germany

Main subject areas


Main Topics

SUSTAINABLE POWERTRAINS
Fuel cells, battery-electric powertrains, hybrid drive systems, internal combustion engines 

REDUCING EMISSIONS AND CO2
Alternative fuels, exhaust aftertreatment systems, emissions legislation

COMPONENTS, TRENDS, AND METHODS
System development, simulation, resources, and recycling


Keynote Lectures

Thomas Nickels
 MAN Truck & Bus SE

Prof. Dr. Frank Opferkuch
Nuremberg Institute of Technology

Dr. Markus Münz
VDMA e. V.


In the afternoon of the 1st day

Engine factory tour at
MAN Truck & Bus, Site Nuremberg

Download congress program 2023

Authors: Christiane Köllner, Mathias Keiber

News from the 18th International MTZ Conference on Heavy-Duty Engines

Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023


 

How to Make the Heavy-Duty Sector Sustainable

Drive systems in the heavy-duty sector must also be optimised in terms of fuel consumption and emissions. The Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023 shows ways and solutions. 

With its emissions targets and legislation, the European Union (EU) is aiming for emission-free road transport by 2050. One fifth of the carbon dioxide emitted in the EU is caused by transport. Light and heavy commercial vehicles account for around 38 % of this. In view of these requirements for climate neutrality, emissions must be reduced. Thomas Nickels, Senior Vice President Engineering Drivetrain, Cabin & Chassis at MAN Truck & Bus SE, and Dr. Frank Opferkuch, Professor for Decentralised Energy Conversion and Storage at Nuremberg Institute of Technology Georg Simon Ohm, will explain how zero-emission transport can be achieved in their keynote speech at the MTZ Conference Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023 in Nuremberg. They discuss the most promising energy sources for a sustainable future.

Specifically, this means that half of the vehicles sold by MAN in the EU should have an emission-free drive by 2030; from 2040, all new commercial vehicles sold should be free from fossil fuels. In addition to purely battery-electric drives, MAN is also looking at hydrogen-based drive systems. Two technologies are currently being pursued in pre-development projects: Hydrogen combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. In addition, existing fleets need to be converted for the use of regenerative fuels.

In order to further accelerate the transformation towards emission-free drives and to research commercial vehicle drives of the future, MAN has founded the Future Driveline Campus together with the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Georg Simon Ohm Technical University of Nuremberg. The first projects in the fields of batteries and fuel cells have already been launched.

Focus on CO2 neutrality and sustainability

The main topics of the "Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023" conference have included sustainable drives, pollutant and CO2 reduction as well as components, trends and methods. 200 participants from 14 countries have heard a keynote speech on the second day of the event by Dr. Markus Münz, Deputy Managing Director Engines and Systems at VDMA, on the "Legislative tsunami from Brussels". The 18th conference has been complemented by a guided tour of the MAN Truck & Bus SE engine plant in Nuremberg.

 

Heavy-Duty Industry Criticises EU

After a tour of the MAN engine plant, the EU was criticised on the second day of the ATZlive conference Heavy-Duty, On- and Off-Highway Engines 2023. 

The European Union (EU) wants to become climate neutral. The target date is 2050. However, the legislation that is supposed to make this possible is being criticised. Dr. Markus Münz, Deputy Managing Director Engines and Systems at the VDMA, sees a "legislative tsunami from Brussels". The EU wants to be the first mover in the global trend towards green transformation, which should result in advantages for companies in the EU. This is how Münz describes Brussels' calculations. He, on the other hand, sees the EU as an industrial location "massively jeopardised" – and cites three reasons. Firstly, the compliance costs for companies will increase significantly. Secondly, the unclear legislation creates legal uncertainty. Thirdly, overly prescriptive regulations represent an obstacle to innovation.

Dr. Max Kofod, Fuels Scientist at Shell Global Solutions, outlined the economic challenges on the path to decarbonisation. LNG is no longer seen as a transition fuel, but as a fuel in transition. The reason: In the transport sector, complete electrification is unlikely due to numerous uncertainties, says Kofod. He sees a three-stage path for the decarbonisation of LNG: from fossil LNG to bio-LNG to synthetic LNG. However, bio-LNG is currently up to five times more expensive than fossil LNG, and synthetic LNG up to ten times more expensive, until it ends up as fuel in ships, for example. However, operators of LNG ships currently still have a long breathing space: According to Kofod, the EU regulations on the composition of LNG will not change until 2035.

100,000 Battery Packs per Year

Meanwhile, major changes are taking place at the MAN engine plant in Nuremberg, which will also be a battery plant in the future. From the beginning of 2025, MAN intends to mass-produce high-voltage battery packs for electrically powered trucks and buses there. In concrete terms, this means 100,000 battery packs per year for around 22,000 electrically powered commercial vehicles, in which up to six of the 600 kg battery packs will be installed per unit. MAN's e-trucks are expected to have a daily range of 600 to 800 kilometres.

News 1st day and articles about related topicsNews 2nd day and articles about related topics

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