The International Bus and Coach Jury has chosen the MAN Lion's City E as International Bus of the Year 2023. The award was handed over at the IAA Awards Night by Tom Terjesen, President of the jury, to Rudi Kuchta, Senior Vice President MAN Truck & Bus SE. The MAN Lion's City E was the winner in the International Bus Euro Test held in May this year in Limerick Ireland.
The 23 journalists from 23 European countries representing the jury-members, the trademagazines, decided as criterion that only electrically driven buses could participate in this years Bus Euro Test. Five candidates took part: Higer Azure, Karsan eATA, MAN Lion's City E, Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and Volvo BZL Electric with a MCV body. After several days of intensive checks, test drives, measurements, and expert discussion, the jury voted for the MAN Lion's City E as the International Bus of the Year 2023. Although the MAN Lion's City E is introduced a few years ago, just before the pandemic, this Bavarian city bus is still among the newer ones on the market, which is evident both in its modern exterior and in the passenger compartment, which is considered one of the best. The German manufacturer managed to combine very well all the different drivelines that they offer in one model, without the external appearance of the bus suffering because of this - the bus is visually refined in every version. Inside the bus, the driver's workplace deserves an excellent rating, the materials used are of good quality, the driver can adjust the steering wheel well along with the adjustable dashboard, and the gauges are also very clear and large.
MAN is equipped with six battery packs, all of them are mounted on the roof of the bus, and with 480 kilowatts it offered the highest capacity of the five tested buses. As a result, tests show that it is possible to drive more than five hundred kilometres with it without intermediate charging, and thus it can provide the daily needs of most carriers. For batteries, they offer two strategies, one is adapted to the greatest possible range, and the other is to achieve the longest possible battery life.
Noise measurements in the passenger compartment showed that the MAN was the quietest when driving, and the engineers managed to set the suspension very well so that the mass of the roof mounted batteries is not felt while driving. The adjustment of the electric motor is also good, the acceleration is smooth and comfortable for the passengers, and the driver can adjust the regeneration levels with the steering wheel lever. “The Bus of the Year 2023 applies to bus passenger today and tomorrow. It is a modern looking vehicle and with an environmentally friendly driveline. Inside the bright colours make you feel welcome. You get the feeling of space, and calm. Just sit down and enjoy the ride”, said Tom Terjesen. He continues: “The MAN Lion's City has also one of the best working space on the marked. To sit behind the steering wheel in this bus, you are the big boss. You have a corner office with excellent view, and very few blind spots. You can feel safe with several safety build in solution and a lot of preventive electronic safety equipment.”