The fully electric MAN Lion’s Coach E has undergone winter testing in northern Europe and eastern Turkey, where engineers assessed the vehicle’s performance in snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures.
The trials were organised by MAN Truck & Bus as part of its annual winter testing programme, in which current bus models are exposed to demanding climatic conditions to evaluate reliability and efficiency. The tests aimed to ensure that the new electric coach meets operational expectations following its public debut at Busworld Europe last autumn.
Four Lion’s Coach E vehicles took part in the testing programme, operating in northern Sweden close to the Arctic Circle and in the Turkish city of Erzurum, both locations known for long and severe winters.
Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus said:There are high expectations for our new fully electric coach, which celebrated its world premiere at Busworld Europe last fall – and we want to fully meet these expectations thanks to such intensive testing.
Across several weeks, the coaches completed thousands of kilometres on roads affected by snow and ice, with temperatures reaching around –30°C. Engineers focused on several key areas, including the behaviour of the high-voltage battery system in low temperatures, the energy management system, charging performance, and the operation of the electric drivetrain.
Thermal management inside the vehicle was also examined. In cold conditions, electric coaches must maintain interior heating while managing energy use to preserve range.
Company engineers reported that the vehicle’s systems operated consistently during the trials, including the electric motor and battery systems.
Roland Scharl, Head of Engineering Bus at MAN Truck & Bus said:The combination of double-digit sub-zero temperatures, snow, and ice provides the ideal conditions for putting vehicles through their paces in the overall system. The successful debut of the Lion's Coach E shows that electric mobility in passenger transport is reliable and economically feasible even under extreme conditions.
As well as individual components, the tests examined the interaction of the vehicle’s systems as a whole. Sensors installed throughout the coaches recorded data on temperatures, pressure levels, energy flow and system status during operation.
This information allowed development teams to analyse the vehicle’s performance in real time and confirm design adjustments where required. The winter trials form part of the validation process ahead of series production.
MAN has conducted winter testing in northern Sweden for more than three decades. In total, nine vehicles were involved in the 2026 winter test programme. Alongside the electric coaches, the fleet included conventional coaches and city and intercity buses with hybrid or electric powertrains.
The Lion’s Coach E represents the first fully battery-electric coach produced by MAN. The vehicle uses electric drive technology derived from the company’s MAN eTruck programme and battery packs based on NMC chemistry produced at the firm’s plant in Nuremberg.
The coach is expected to offer a usable battery capacity of between 320 kWh and 480 kWh. Under favourable conditions, the manufacturer estimates a potential driving range of up to 650 kilometres.
The 14-metre coach can carry up to 63 passengers and retains luggage capacity comparable to the diesel-powered MAN Lion’s Coach. Production preparations are currently underway at MAN’s bus manufacturing site in Ankara, with initial deliveries to selected operators planned before the end of the year.
