About Alexander Vlaskamp
Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, has been publicly promoting the company's transition to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and calling for political support to build the necessary charging infrastructure. In April 2025, at the inauguration of MAN's battery plant in Nuremberg, Vlaskamp announced an additional investment of around 150 million euros in module production, bringing total investment at the site to 250 million euros. He stated that the innovation of battery-electric trucks and mega-charging columns already exists, but what is missing is the non-innovative work of building the grid with cables and transformer houses, which requires long-term investment and political action. He also appealed for a CO2 review for heavy trucks and criticized that a previous government did not respond to industry calls to direct half of a toll increase into charging infrastructure and e-truck subsidies.
Vlaskamp has consistently argued that battery-electric drives are the superior solution for commercial vehicles. In a 2022 interview, he stated that BEV trucks are coming and will remain for decades, making them a secure investment for infrastructure and grid operators. At the IAA Transportation 2022, he said that battery-electric power is more efficient and cheaper than hydrogen, and that green hydrogen should be prioritized for industrial uses like steel production. He projected that by 2030, 40 to 50 percent of MAN's new truck registrations in Europe would be battery-electric, corresponding to around 40,000 trucks. In 2023, he participated in a test drive of the new MAN eTruck in Munich with Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder, and in South Africa he handed over the first MAN Lion's Explorer electric buses to Golden Arrow Bus Services, describing the event as a milestone for electrifying Africa.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Alexander Vlaskamp's recent appearances.
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Transcript (2 segments)
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Host0:00
But also the modular production, again with the support of politics and accompanied by our employee representatives. This only works hand in hand, and we want to talk about that with you at the beginning. We have four protagonists who will briefly present the project: first our CEO Alexander Vlaskamp, then Markus Söder, welcome, our Minister President, Mr. Eiwanger, our Minister of Economic Affairs is here, and many other representatives of politics whom I warmly welcome today on behalf of MAN. Um, it's nice that you all came for this joyful event. Later we will have a ceremonial moment when series production starts for our trucks, which we will then present in series in Munich starting in June. And Alexander, with that I invite you to the stage.
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Alexander Vlaskamp0:58
Yes, Minister President Söder, warmly welcome. Many thanks and great respect that you are here with us at MAN Truck & Bus after coalition negotiations in recent weeks. Mr. State Minister Eiwanger, also many thanks for being here. Since 2021 we have started the transformation of logistics with battery-electric trucks and production here in Nuremberg. We made the decision together with you to write industrial history in Nuremberg and shape the future. With the support of the Free State of Bavaria, we invested not only in production but also launched the Campus Future Driveline with universities. In 2023 we opened that campus. We also had the topping-out ceremony in November 2023, which you attended. Now in April we start the SOP—start of production—of the series production of battery packs. This is the tallest production building we have ever erected: 35 meters high, 17,000 square meters, 50 manual and automated assembly stations, and eight test benches for quality assurance. Welcome to our employees and works council. It is the people who make the difference, not the machines. Quality made in Nuremberg. Our production board member Michael Kobriger can confirm that. The trucks will be quiet, enabling night deliveries into cities. We want to deliver top quality from Nuremberg with a high-tech battery production system that can handle different product variants. Yesterday I was at bauma in Munich, the world's largest construction trade fair, where we showed our battery-electric construction trucks. Battery-electric driving is not just for long-haul but also for construction and municipal use. Importantly, the total cost of ownership must work for our customers. We invested 100 million euros in this battery plant, with 30 million in funding from Bavaria. Today we announce an additional investment of around 150 million euros in module production, where we will build commercial-vehicle-specific modules. We will receive 18 million in funding from the federal government and Bavaria. In total, we have invested 250 million euros here in Nuremberg, securing the transformation from engine production to battery pack production for 400 employees. Our long-term goal is to deepen battery technology competence and value creation. We are also investing in the latest diesel engine technology: we recently opened production of our D30 engine, with 250 million euros invested in Nuremberg and 30 million in Salzgitter for the crankshaft. That secures 160 jobs and the most economical and modern diesel engine in the world for our MAN customers. This secures the future, but we will also go forward with battery-electric trucks. This transformation at German brownfield sites shows that we don't all move to greenfields; we take responsibility for our employees and locations. We need political support, especially for charging infrastructure. The innovation of the battery-electric truck is there. The mega charging column is also there. What we lack is not innovation: the build-up of the charging network, the grid, cables, and transformer houses. We need to tackle that and invest. We appreciate that the coalition agreement explicitly includes truck charging and logistics depots. We also welcome that the road financing cycle is secured. Together with other truck manufacturers and logistics associations, we appealed that the toll increase of 16 cents per kilometer should flow at least half into charging infrastructure and the other half into truck funding. That was not heard by the previous government, but now it is in the coalition agreement. Thank you. We also need a strong voice in Europe. The new Automotive Plan from Ms. Fundelein has many good points but forgot trucks. We need clear CO2 targets for commercial vehicles, but they must be feasible with charging infrastructure. We cannot spend the same euro twice. We call for a CO2 review for heavy trucks. Ladies and gentlemen, our industry has done its homework. Our employees have invested 2.1 billion euros in batteries, electric trucks, drivetrains, and production in Munich. Now we need political focus to move Germany forward together. We have trust and look forward to success.
