MAN and FC Bayern are planning a charging park for electric lorries and electric buses

• Bavarian Minister-President Dr Markus Söder attends the official opening of the charging park at the Allianz Arena
• Designed to accommodate up to 500 electric lorries and buses daily: public megawatt charging station (MCS) at the Allianz Arena motorway junction

By providing charging infrastructure in collaboration with MAN and the Free State of Bavaria, FC Bayern is perceived not only as a sports club but also as an active member of the community, committed to improving quality of life and promoting environmentally friendly technologies.

The official launch of the charging park project for electric lorries and buses took place at the Allianz Arena in Munich. In attendance were Dr Markus Söder, Minister-President of Bavaria; Christian Bernreiter, Bavarian Minister of State for Housing, Construction and Transport; Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern München AG; Michael Diederich, Deputy CEO of FC Bayern München AG; Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus; and Frederik Zohm, Head of Development at MAN Truck & Bus.

High-performance and megawatt charging stations will be installed in three planned phases at the Allianz Arena’s South Bus Park. A total of 30 charging points are planned. This will enable up to 500 electric buses and lorries to be charged daily.

Dr Markus Söder, Minister-President of Bavaria

Large arenas are ideal

Large football stadiums such as the Allianz Arena have a very high-capacity electricity grid due to their high power requirements for floodlights, catering and other consumers; this grid is only utilised to full capacity on match days. FC Bayern Munich and its long-standing sponsorship partner, MAN Truck & Bus, found ideal conditions for setting up a charging network for commercial vehicles and agreed on a project to this effect. The fact that the Allianz Arena is powered entirely by green electricity makes the project even more climate-friendly. The Allianz Arena is situated directly at the busy Munich-North motorway junction, with its own motorway access: up to 10,000 lorries pass through this key hub for European road freight transport every day.

An ideal location for the charging park. And FC Bayern will also need a charging infrastructure for its own fleet of vehicles in future: MAN will deliver the first fully electric team coach to FC Bayern for the 2025/26 season. Jan-Christian Dreesen, Chairman of the Executive Board at FC Bayern, explains the joint project with MAN: “Our society faces major challenges, particularly when it comes to protecting the environment and the climate. For us, the public charging park for commercial vehicles is a continuation of our sustainability efforts to operate the Allianz Arena in an increasingly climate-friendly manner.” Michael Diederich, Deputy Chairman of the Board at FC Bayern, adds: “This project is of great importance to us, and I cannot imagine a better partner than MAN to implement it successfully. Two strong Bavarian companies are shaping the future together and making an important contribution to electrification and climate neutrality in coach and lorry transport.”

MAN Transport Solutions, MAN’s in-house consultancy unit for the transition to zero-emission vehicles, was closely involved in the project. The consultants are supporting the planning and implementation of the public megawatt charging park. Since 2018, MAN Transport Solutions has been advising transport companies on the energy-efficient use of their vehicle fleets, on electric mobility and on charging infrastructure. What began in the city bus sector, where the electrification of vehicle fleets is already firmly established, is now also benefiting the market launch of MAN’s mass-produced electric lorries. “We will only achieve the Paris climate targets if we consistently decarbonise our vehicle fleets. Half of the lorries produced each year are to be electric by 2030. The charging infrastructure is key to this. As a manufacturer, we are leading by example by working with E.ON to establish a public charging network at our service centres across Europe. But that alone is not enough.

That is why we are very grateful for fresh ideas and joint projects such as the one with FC Bayern. The charging park at the Allianz Arena will be a flagship project. By Bayern, for Bayern and the world. It will have an impact far beyond the country’s borders,” explains Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus. According to estimates by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), around 50,000 high-power and megawatt charging stations will be needed along the main long-distance routes across Europe by 2030. One of these will be built at the Allianz Arena. In future, electric lorries and buses will be able to charge their batteries here. The vehicles are now ready for the market. There are already 2,000 enquiries and orders for MAN’s new electric lorry. In 2023, MAN was the European market leader for electric city buses. In 2025, the first electric coach is set to enter trial operation and will be handed over to FC Bayern – as a long-standing partner – during the 2025/26 season.

MCS and CCS charging offer maximum flexibility

From its launch in October 2023, the new MAN eTruck will offer a daily range of 600 to 800 kilometres. And future-proof charging technology is built right in: “With megawatt charging technology (MCS), our MAN eTruck, with its battery capacity of up to 534 kWh, can cover a range of 300 to 400 kilometres whilst the driver is on a break. This corresponds to charging 10 to 80 per cent of the available battery capacity,” explained Dr Frederik Zohm, Head of Development at MAN Truck & Bus, at the official launch of the commercial vehicle charging park at the Allianz Arena. The new MAN eTruck can also be fitted with CCS charging capability, for example for overnight charging at depots. For greater flexibility, the CCS connector can be positioned on the right or left-hand side of the vehicle, or at the rear on the right-hand side for chassis models. If the MCS connector – which is always positioned on the driver’s side – is omitted, a combination of two CCS connectors is also possible.