You can read this article in 3 minutesPölös Zsófia MAN Truck & Bus plans to start using electric trucks on nearly 40 routes from 2026 to cut emissions from its inbound logistics which currently covers up to 165 million kilometres a year MAN Truck & Bus has launched a tender to deploy battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on nearly 40 logistics routes across its inbound network The move is part of the company’s efforts to decarbonise its own supply chains with trucks in the network currently covering up to 165 million kilometres annually the contracts for the new routes are expected to be awarded promptly The objective is to replace diesel-powered vehicles with electric trucks across key logistics corridors connected to MAN production sites In parallel with the tender launch, MAN is working with logistics provider DB Schenker to assess the performance of fully electric eTGX trucks in real-world conditions The test operation involves two daily round trips on the Bamberg–Munich and Bamberg–Nuremberg routes DB Schenker reports an average energy consumption of 121 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometres during winter conditions and positive feedback from drivers involved in the trial MAN has expanded the charging infrastructure at its Munich plant enabling electric trucks to recharge near unloading points Additional infrastructure is being developed at the MAN service centre in Karlsfeld where four 400-kW charging stations are being constructed with space for articulated vehicle combinations The Karlsfeld project forms part of MAN’s collaboration with energy company E.ON through which around 400 public charging points are planned across 170 locations in Europe approximately 125 will be located in Germany The charging stations are being installed at MAN service centres and will be accessible to electric trucks from other manufacturers To date, over 150 MAN eTGX trucks have been deployed by logistics companies including DB Schenker, Duvenbeck, Dachser, Dräxlmaier, and Koopman. These vehicles form part of an initial pre-series batch of 200 electric trucks manufactured in 2024 the fleet has so far accumulated nearly one million kilometres of real-world operation with average energy consumption of around 100 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometres Based on this data and the use of 100% renewable electricity the vehicles are estimated to have saved approximately 820 tonnes of CO₂ compared to diesel trucks The company is also offering consulting services to support transport firms transitioning to electric vehicles and access to digital tools for managing electric truck operations across borders Charging services are integrated through MAN’s Charge & Go platform Pölös Zsófia Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025 Agnieszka Kulikowska - Wielgus Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025 Sabina Koll Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025 GXO to manage Northern Italy transport operations for PRG retail groupPölös Zsófia Journalist Trans.info | 5.05.2025 which specialises in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries has started delivering recycled lithium to its first commercial customers The material comes from the company's own pilot plant in Karlsfeld Tozero put its hydrometallurgical pilot plant near Munich into operation last year The process used there is a proprietary development of the start-up This “state-of-the-art hydrometallurgical process” is designed to maximise the recovery of materials such as lithium from the cathode and graphite from the anode – “exceeding European Commission’s recycling targets well above 80% recovery rate today already significantly higher than traditional recycling methods” the first recycled lithium has already been delivered to European customers this March – although the startup is not naming any names when reintroduced into the battery supply chain have a carbon footprint up to 70 per cent lower than conventional lithium mining and processing techniques Tozero expects to produce hundreds of tonnes of recycled lithium by 2026 “Our lithium is not just recycled; it’s truly beautiful,” comments Sachin Samarakone “It’s a testament to the purity and effectiveness of our recycling process making it a highly sought-after critical materia for diverse industries in Europe.” “Our mission is to truly bring lithium-ion battery waste to zero and each tonne of recycled lithium represents a significant step towards reducing our ecological footprint and achieving a net-zero future,” added Sarah Fleischer tozero.solutions I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology Trump’s anti-immigrant executive order and refugee ban were harshly condemned by the German Chancellor Several media outlets present Merkel as the last democratic hope of the West But how have the refugees who arrived in Germany fared And what of those who attempted to enter the European nation and now languish in Turkish camps Was the acceptance of refugees by Germany driven by humanitarian ideals or by economic interests and the need to preserve the integrity of capitalist Europe we present an assessment of 2016 and German policy in relation to the refugee crisis This article was originally published in Marxist World In an interview published in August 2016 by Süddeutsche Zeitung “We have ignored the refugee problem for too long.” One might think that the German chancellor is showing sympathy for the lives of millions Does this mean that the head of state assumes any responsibility for the death of 5,079 people in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016 after the closure of the Balkan route increased the flow of migrants traversing the dangerous journey from North Africa to Italy “western democracies’ last hope,” as she has been referred to by the press following Trump’s victory in the US provide a humanitarian response to the millions of people living in inhumane conditions in refugee camps in Turkey Will the German government take responsibility for ascertaining the whereabouts of more than 9,000 refugee children now missing in Germany The events of the past year demonstrate otherwise According to data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) 65.3 million people are currently displaced by conflicts worldwide It is the worst refugee situation since World War II this unprecedented humanitarian crisis arrived on European soil received almost 1.1 million asylum-seekers Merkel said that she intended to “reduce the number of refugees in a sustainable and permanent manner.” this decision was carried out and Germany drastically reduced the number of refugees in 2016–this despite the fact that Germany achieved a fiscal surplus of €19bn in 2016 The solid performance of the German GDP contradicts the fears raised across the political spectrum that the migrants represented an economic threat No such economic success is found in Syria famine and the actions of groups like the so-called Islamic State and Boko Haram Their inhabitants seek simply the possibility of survival in countries where these conditions no longer exist Germany and the European Union therefore face a contradiction European countries have contributed decisively to the devastation of vast areas of Africa they now face mass migrations of people into a Europe in which–even in Germany (Huber 2015)–there are already millions of precarious and unemployed workers (Mercatante 2016) At the beginning of the humanitarian crisis in September 2015 the Merkel government was determined to manage this movement of people Italian sociologist and researcher on international migration “The European Union would like to manage these events regulating the movement of immigrants according to its own needs and avoiding explosive situations which arise either as a result of revolts by disillusioned immigrants the anti-immigrant reactions of native workers or – and this is the hypothesis most feared by governments – joint struggles between the native workers and migrants” (Ideas de Izquierda This attempt to regulate the influx manifested itself in the formation of a bloc of more ‘open’ countries around Germany: those with the possibility of putting the refugees to work This bloc has sought to offload the unpopular task of policing the flow of migrants to the countries of southern Europe–Greece and Italy in particular–or to their neighboring countries But after the closure of the Balkan route and the consequences of this decision in Hungary There were partial border closures and a temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement first between Sweden and Denmark and then between Denmark and Germany Thomas de Maizière (Christian Democrats – CDU) could found a ‘mini-Schengen.’ As the breakdown escalated the Federal State of Bavaria followed the example of Switzerland and imposed the confiscation of valuables from refugees: seizing any belongings–both money and jewelry–in excess of the value of €750 The fracturing of Europe was accompanied by rising discord within the German government a crisis which almost split its governing coalition with the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria and led to the electoral ‘successes’ of the proto-fascist AfD (Alternative for Germany) in regional elections March was a key month for the ‘refugee crisis’ question with the German chancellor as its main operator signed a sinister pact that gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan control of European borders; all of it a metaphor for the Europe of capital inches away from violating international law on the right of asylum can send all refugees who enter illegally to Turkey one out’ rule: for each person returned to Turkey Europe pledged to receive a Syrian refugee the EU will accept a maximum of 72,000 asylum applications over two years there are 1.9 million Syrian refugees in camps in Turkey The vast majority–along with those from Afghanistan Iraq or Pakistan–have two options: to remain in the poor conditions of those camps or to return to their countries This pact is crowned with €6 billion handed over to Turkey in return: a ‘trade deal’ at the expense of refugees’ lives This deal totally ignores widespread denunciations of the Erdoğan regime for its repressive military offensive against the Kurdish people and the imprisonment of internal political opposition which has soared after the failed coup in July 2016 European governments have attempted to end the migration crisis on their external border and head off extreme right movements inside Europe by adopting much of their programs Merkel’s opposition to national border controls within the EU is not for humanitarian but economic reasons: any alteration of Schengen would deal a serious blow to the German economy whose exports (60 percent of which are transported by land) are mainly to other European countries The reason Merkey initially decided to play the ‘welcome’ role–especially toward Syrians—was in part to demonstrate a certain German ‘humanity’ and ‘openness,’ but above all to serve the requirements of big business and the German economy Her ideal is to have gastarbeiter (foreign guest workers of the 1960s and 1970s from southern Europe and north Africa who to spend one or two years supporting the West German economic miracle before returning home) at Germany’s disposal once more stripped of any social bond that may give them strength’ (2015) labor prepared and constrained by its own conditions in contrast to the earlier migrants who are already settled According to the Federal Statistical Office’s December 2015 report more than 20 percent of Germany has a migrationshintergrund (an immigrant background) In countries shaped by immigration–especially their metropolitan centers—acting to merge and nullify national differences a mass composed of these ‘empirically universal individuals’ arises They become workers directly inserted into universal history who Karl Marx and Frederick Engels foresaw in The German Ideology as products of the universal development of the productive forces the task of capitalism: ‘These individuals do not appear today for the first time the weaknesses and prejudices of the other workers their mass existence on a global scale can foster rapprochement and fraternization among workers globally’ argues Basso ‘Partly because of the increasingly complete globalization of the labor market and because of the attacks in imperialist countries on the conditions of the working class’ ‘A growing number of proletarians are seeing the progressive worsening of their own condition and begin to feel like migrants in their own land’ (Bosso 2015) the CDU with the SPD’s support made important reforms to asylum laws with the aim of alleviating the serious crisis within the ruling coalition The ‘Second Asylum Package’ tightened the restrictions on refugees from January 2016 It made deportations easier as well as further limiting residency laws – to the point that even a suspended sentence can lead to deportation the reform obliges all asylum-seekers who receive temporary protection to wait two years until they can be reunited with their families remaining in war-torn countries like Syria risking death and everything else this situation entails separated from their families by the German state are also asked to ‘rapidly integrate’ into Germany Tunisia and Kosovo are now considered ‘safe countries of origin’ and the same status is foreseen for Mali and other African countries following the negotiations held by the chancellor on her tour of Africa in October Refugees from these countries are quickly registered in the ‘reception centers’ and then deported the German government does not hesitate to open new prisons like the one near Hamburg airport which is destined to accommodate refugees awaiting deportation Germany began mass deportations of Afghan asylum seekers provoking demonstrations by protestors who say it is not safe to return there Another central aspect of the reform has been the pressure of the ‘labor market.’ On one hand it is very difficult for refugees to find work These laws dictate that they can work only if there is no one in the European Union who can fill the role an employment plan for 100,000 refugees was implemented as an exception that put the value of the working hour between €0.80 and €1.05 – when in Germany the minimum wage is €8.50 per hour many German companies including giants like the Deutsche Post employ refugees under these conditions large capital is able to super-exploit migrants without family for a (minimum) period of two years The living conditions of refugees in Germany are very complex The majority live in reception centers for many months and are housed in containers refugees face daily physical and psychological harassment by guards These camps have serious infrastructure problems with unhygienic and unhealthy conditions As described by those living in the Karsfeld camp located 27 kilometers from Munich during a hunger strike for decent housing: ‘For more than a year we have been in this camp where there are only 30 bathrooms for 300 people ‘We must pay out of our pocket if we have to go to the hospital we do not have the means to access medical care’ (Youth Against Racism 2016) has always found itself in agreement around repressive measures against refugees It initially allowed one group of better-qualified workers from Syria to enter the country to work but then hardened its stance with the aforementioned asylum laws fuelled by pressure from the right wing of the coalition and the AfD has served to divide the population and sow racism The situation fostered by the xenophobic action of the state has propelled the rise of the AfD (a phenomenon preceded by the PEGIDA movement) The most recent electoral success of the party was in the elections of September in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – passing the Merkel’s CDU in the state where her own constituency is located The result put the AfD in second place with 21 percent of the votes This party challenges the government from the right and produces virulently racist propaganda that renders real results last December Merkel became even more hardline fearing it could impact her upcoming election campaign She has since said she will support a ban on burkas ‘wherever possible’ in the country and has also ordered boats patrolling the Mediterranean to pick up migrants and send them back to Africa Although there are currently no pogroms in Germany we are seeing the strongest wave of racist violence in 23 years 1,031 right-wing crimes were reported in Germany–five times more than the year prior the number escalated to a total of 6,548 crimes perpetrated by the far right Reception centers continue to be targeted by far-right attacks: a total of 665 crimes against these camps have been recorded throughout the country during the same period The ‘unofficial’ figure would be much higher intelligence services and ultra-right groups as previously shown by the scandal of the National Socialist Underground This shift to the right in the political landscape was further accentuated by the attacks in Bavaria during the month of July and will deepen as a consequence of the recent terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market by the so-called Islamic State (Vargas 2016) In a Europe in which imperialist wars have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Middle East and Africa creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and fueling reactionary phenomena like so-called Islamic State it was not surprising that after the events of July the German state pushed forward a major internal militarization in the style of Hollande Since then different parts of the political spectrum have been demanding that the armed forces intervene in internal affairs and the implementation of the Integration Law The bourgeois parties have only one answer to the ‘migration crisis’: the restriction of democratic rights and intimidation through repression and deportation All this is happening without an independent position being taken up by the union representatives and politicians of the working class which might face down the rightward turn and oppose militarization ‘How deeply has the stigmatization of refugees permeated within the working class It is difficult to say.’ The only thing that can be said with certainty is that solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers has been exclusively expressed by youth and workers We must prepare ourselves to deal with the persecution of young people The movement against the reactionary Integration Law in Bavaria (which involves compulsory classes on a scale which is barely possible to provide and requires asylum seekers to pass rigorous citizenship tests if they are to avoid deportation) brought together more than 3,000 people in the streets at the end of October in the face of police repression (Klasse gegen Klasse 2016) The various groups and national alliances combining young students anti-fascist and left-wing organizations are taking daily action against racism an organization that is part of the La Izquierda Diario international network (along with Left Voice) organized a national student strike in late April and mobilized more than 8,000 youth in 12 cities (Vargas 2016b) more than 4,000 students were mobilized by this committee to stop the deportations It is necessary for the powerful German trade unions to support this action and allow the workers of Europe’s main power to reverse the right-wing turn which fosters hatred and racism as well as worse living conditions for workers ‘La ‘cooperación social’ alemana: modelo exitoso para el capital’ los costos los pagarán todos los inmigrantes y trabajadores europeos’ ‘Attacke von München: Amoksyndrom oder tiefgründige soziale Krise (Ataques en Múnich: síndrome Amok o una profunda crisis social)’ ‘Así enfrenta al racismo la juventud en Alemania’ La Izquierda Diario http://www.laizquierdadiario.com/Asi-enfrenta-al-racismo-la-juventud-en-Alemania‘The Refugee Struggle for Freedom (Auf Gewerkschaftsdemo gegen Integrationsgesetz)’ ‘Support the Struggle of Refugees in Karlsfeld Camp’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di4NXlahSSg Leftists who claim the mantle of internationalism must speak out against the reactionary nationalism that the Russian and Ukrainian regimes are using to crack down on dissent Kazib's trial comes amid global repression of the Palestine movement it is essential that we join in this solidarity to denounce state repression against pro-Palestine activists both in France and around the world Prominent figures of the French Left held a press conference on April 24 to denounce the attempt by the French government to jail Anasse Kazib for social media posts in solidarity with Palestine Increasing attacks by the Far Right in French universities has become dangerous for the student movement Our comrades from Le Poing Levé (Fist Up) are calling for the creation of action committees to combat these attacks and turn universities into battlegrounds against the Far Right 8 CUNY community members facing felony charges for engaging in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at City College last year The temporary disqualification of a current Detroit councilmember in the city’s upcoming elections is an undemocratic move that speaks to the flaws of the electoral process under capitalism workers across the world turned out to organize and demonstrate against the growing global threat posed by Trump and the Far Right The United States has already killed hundreds of civilians in its imperialist bombing of Yemen the Trump administration is indicating that it may back a ground invasion threatening to throw the country into a civil war In order to set up the online fashion retailer Merkkur GmbH for long-term success the two founders and ex-Amazonians Marco Kroner and Christian Kernbichl are bringing another manager into the management team Tillmann Goes is a former Head of Vendor Management and EU Category Leader Sports and Outdoor from Amazon Goes has been working at Merkkur since September 1st of last year The online retailer based in Karlsfeld near Munich was named one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in Germany by the Financial Times and Focus Business for the fifth year in a row We always keep you up to date: with our free newsletter SHOEZ compact You will regularly receive all information from the shoe industry in a clear form when a new magazine is published US Managing Director Peter Sachs hands over to Lance Taylor Alchemy plans to take over almost half of the Austrian shoe retailer Second best financial year in the company's history Creditors' meeting decides against P&C's takeover offer Sanela Krisat becomes International Sales Director sales representatives and business partners throughout the DACH association Telephone: +49 (0) 6 41 / 7 95 08 – 0Fax: +49 (0) 6 41 / 7 95 08 – 15Email: info@shoez.biz Designed by willsch-media.de There are some really interesting tests against higher league opponents waiting for Bayern II.. Bayern Munich’s U-23 side kicked off their performance diagnostics recently making the initial steps in the team’s preparation for the second half of the season Head coach Holger Seitz had this to say, via FCBayern.com.: “The slightly longer vacation did us all good but now we are very happy that things are starting again so we can start with a large training group right away An intensive preparation phase awaits us with some exciting test match opponents Another focus is the training camp in warm southern Spain There we will certainly find the best conditions to be able to prepare perfectly for the second half of the season.” The first test match against Austrian second division team SV Horn at the FC Bayern Campus is scheduled for January 21st head coach Seitz’s team will travel to the winter training camp in Spain Two more test matches will be played there: On January 27th (3:30 p.m.) Bayern II will face Danish first division team Sønderjyske the Munich team will face FCI Levadia from Estonia the second team of the German record champions will be visiting the Austrian second division club FC First Vienna on February 8th (2 p.m.) before facing TSV Eintracht Karlsfeld on February 11th (7 p.m.) The dress rehearsal will be the home game on February 15th (11:30 a.m.) against the Czech second division club FC Silon Táborsko The schedule will be tough, but with the team nearing full strength with some long term absentees finally returning and the possible acquisition of Bajung Darboe the team will be ready to meet the challenges head on which specializes in recycling lithium-ion batteries has put its first hydrometallurgical pilot plant into operation in Karlsfeld near Munich Its construction was financed in part by a pre-seed round from last year the pilot plant features large-scale technical equipment and supports the startup’s proprietary hydrometallurgical recycling technology About a year ago, Tozero raised €3.5 million in its pre-seed round which it said was primarily intended to finance the plant near Munich The startup’s backers include former VW executive Jochem Heizmann a representative from MAN Truck and Bus speak highly of the startup At the end of July this year, Germany-based Bethmann Bank said, in their online publication Tenor (in German) “Although the start-up is just a year old it reached a milestone a few weeks ago: according to the company but the founders have already implemented their idea on a larger scale.” Tozero continues not to disclose details about its technology it simply says the approach “enables the sustainable recovery of all critical battery materials such as lithium Tozero will be doing what other battery recycling companies do: they work with companies that discharge the batteries and take apart the casing shredding the content to form a black powder This can be separated into recoverable critical materials mentioned above with the help of sieves While the process of producing black mass is not new Tozero has developed a novel chemical process of component separation that is attracting the attention of the nascent German and European battery industries Tozero says it can already meet the EU’s minimum lithium recovery rate requirements of 80 per cent from 2031 The kind of interest the startup is acquiring and what other recyclers are aiming at would suggest their secret chemical process can do far more MAN Truck & Bus and E.ON are aiming to set up around 170 truck charging parks across Europe The cooperation partners' first charging site has now gone into operation near Berlin Two further German sites are to follow soon Commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN and energy supplier E.ON announced their charging network initiative in mid-July. The target is 170 locations with around 400 truck charging points in Europe – including 125 locations The existing MAN service branches will serve as locations for public charging the network is still accessible for commercial vehicles from other manufacturers The first charging facility in the MAN-E.ON network has now also been connected to the network at a MAN service centre – in Berlin-Wildau directly on the A10 and A13 motorways near the Schönefelder Kreuz junction Two Hypercharger 400 charging stations from the manufacturer Alpitronic are now initially available there four charging points in Karlsfeld near Munich (A99 motorway) and two charging points in Fürstenwalde in Brandenburg (A12 motorway) will also go into operation the charging capacity of the initially installed CCS charging points is up to 400 kilowatts a later conversion of the locations to megawatt charging using the MCS standard is planned the parking and charging areas are also specially designed for electric trucks including “a drive-through facility through the charging bay so that lorries do not have to manoeuvre,” according to MAN One thing is clear: the rollout of the commercial vehicle-compatible charging infrastructure continues to gather pace with the new cooperation between MAN and E.On. Through the Milence joint venture MAN – in the form of its parent company Traton – is already active together with Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group in the area of high-speed truck chargers The German government has also pushed ahead with the initial electric truck charging network press.mantruckandbus.com, eon.de (in German) MAN Truck & Bus wants to decarbonize its logistics by increasing the use of eTrucks to transport its own goods and vehicles The tender for the future use of battery-electric trucks on the first almost 40 routes has now been launched The contracts are to be awarded soon to enable the start of series operation in 2026 MAN Inbound Logistics is already carrying out a test run with an all-electric eTGX which is running two round trips a day on the Bamberg-Munich-Bamberg and Bamberg-Nuremberg-Bamberg routes This will then be expanded to the 40 routes next year MAN estimates that up to 165 million kilometres could be covered per year via the ‘inbound network.’ In order to power the major logistics initiative MAN has expanded the charging infrastructure at the Munich MAN factory “so that fully electric lorries in plant logistics can charge up quickly and directly near the unloading point.” Another four 400 kW charging stations are under construction at the MAN service centre in Karlsfeld Nuremberg and Salzgitter sites have also been equipped with the appropriate charging infrastructure.” MAN specifies that the charging stations at Karlsfeld are part of an ongoing cooperation with E.ON for which approximately 170 locations will be fitted with around 400 charging points for public charging of electric trucks across Europe About 125 locations are planned in Germany “We have been using the vehicle for MAN plant logistics for a few weeks now Our initial experiences have been positive,” explained William Kratsch before adding: “The vehicle has an average consumption of 121 kilowatt hours – and that in winter The feedback from the drivers has also been consistently positive The driving experience is super and the workmanship of the vehicles is excellent “We want to take a significant step towards green logistics The tender for the use of battery-electric trucks is an important milestone for MAN on the way to converting our own supply chains to zero-emission drives and sustainable cost efficiency,” added Michael Kobriger the MAN Truck & Bus Executive Board member responsible for Production and Logistics who also extolled the marketing benefits of the initiative: “In this way we also want to show our customers in our own operations what advantages the use of battery-electric trucks in the transport sector already offers for the environment and for our own operations.” mantruckandbus.com