MAN Truck & Bus South Africa has announced a more than R48 million investment in green technology and skills development which will make it the first automotive company to manufacture electric buses in the Southern African Development Community region.
The German company will produce the buses in South Africa, at its first ever carbon dioxide-neutral production facility. It aims to achieve this goal across its global operations by 2030.
It made the announcement on Tuesday at its plant in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, where it will manufacture the chassis of the buses.
“We cannot neglect the fact that the trucks and buses of MAN, as well as those of our competitors, are not only the backbone of any industrialisation, the backbone for economic growth, but at the same time, they are also adding to global warming, to health problems, to noise and to fatalities,” said MAN Automotive SA managing director Jan Aichinger.
He said MAN had committed to reduce the carbon footprint of its worldwide production to carbon dioxide neutrality by 2030.
“It’s a long way and not an easy one. Hence we are even more proud to share with you that the very first production site that has actually achieved that milestone is our MAN Pinetown production plant here in South Africa,” said Aichinger.
“This is not only the first production site within MAN, it’s also the first in the entire South African automobile industry, and most likely, even with Africa, with an investment of more than R23 million.”
MAN SA has so far invested R48 million in upgrading facilities at the Pinetown plant and its Olifantsfontein plant in Gauteng in preparation for the manufacture of the electric buses. Aichinger said the company was training 60 to 80 apprentices a year at the plants.
The solar system installed on the roof in Pinetown has the capacity to generate 800 megawatts of energy per year — more than what the plant consumes.
“In fact, we’re adding to the city grid 484 megawatts per year. But we have not stopped at our plant here at Pinetown. We’ve done the same for our Oliphantsfontein bus manufacturing plant located in Gauteng,” Aichinger said.
He said the solar system had also been rolled out at its head office and most of its workshops across the country, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 2 234 tonnes per year.
“We’ve seen that as a long-term investment in MAN’s future in South Africa. Our responsibility does not stop when producing our products. We feel equally responsible for the products we sell in the market. Hence our decision to provide the South African market with the very first locally engineered, homologated and produced electric bus.”
Homologation is the granting of approval by an official authority.
The first MAN SA Lion’s Explorer E bus was piloted in Cape Town in 2023. The chassis was manufactured in Pinetown while the Olifantsfontein factory produced the body of the bus, using 95% locally sourced parts.
“We have two of those models on South African roads operating on a day-to-day basis, and we shipped a third one back to our mother plant in Turkey, in Ankara, to undergo an endurance test and make sure this product is definitely holding up to MAN’s quality promise,” Aichinger said.
Deputy transport minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa said South Africa had set bold targets to keep its national emissions between 398 and 510 mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide and between 350 and 420 mega-tonnes by 2030.
“The transport sector is a major contributor that must lead in the transition. Our work must include accelerating the rollout of electric vehicles, supported by charging infrastructure; promoting non-motorised transport systems like walking and cycling; advancing cleaner fuels and more efficient engines, particularly in the maritime and aviation transport sector, and by decentralising freight movement and returning cargo to rail and easing the burden of our overstretched road networks,” he said.
“You are assembling hope, connectivity and the means of millions to travel safely and cleanly. Your work here goes far beyond the paycheck. It fuels the promise of a nation in motion.”
The introduction of the electric bus marked the strides being made in electric vehicle manufacturing in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal economic development tourism and environmental affairs MEC Musa Zondi said.
“As South Africa prepares to assume the esteemed role of G20 host later this year, we do so with an unwavering commitment to sustainable development goals. Of importance is to ensure that the solutions we champion on the global stage are also realised in our cities, in our communities and in our industries,” he said.
“This is exactly what the Lions Explorer E exemplifies — a homegrown solution with global significance, taking us onto a significant forum as a port city, facilitating international trade and being a critical economic hub.
“It reflects positively on our province’s growing reputation as a centre for green innovation and industrial excellence — from emobility to renewable energy and climate resilience shaping the future.”
