IAA Transportation: Electricity, hydrogen, combustion engines - the new diversity
Kia study PV7 Concept at the IAA Transportation 2024.
Photo source: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Kia
Kia study PV5 Concept High Roof at the IAA Transportation 2024.
Photo source: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Kia
Kia study PV5 Concept High Roof at the IAA Transportation 2024.
Photo source: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Kia
Kia study PV7 Concept at the IAA Transportation 2024.
Photo source: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Kia
The race for the best "fuel" for transporting goods and people is more open than ever - and there will probably be more than one winner. At the IAA Transportation, the leading trade fair for commercial vehicles of all kinds, which ends tomorrow in Hanover, numerous small and large trucks with climate-neutral drives were presented - from battery-electric 40-ton trucks to pick-ups with hydrogen fuel cells.
For decades, diesel was the drive of choice for commercial vehicles. But that is over: "In the future, there will no longer be a single solution for all transportation issues," says Mahle CEO Arnd Franz. His company is therefore taking a multi-pronged approach, with the Stuttgart-based company's proposed solutions ranging from electric drives to fuel cells and hydrogen burners.
Other companies take a similar view: Toyota Professional is presenting the Proace Max, a van in the 3.5-ton class, which is available in battery-electric and combustion versions. The Hilux is now available with a 48-volt hybrid drive to reduce fuel consumption. Toyota is taking a step into the future with a fuel cell drive in the popular pick-up and is using this example to show how its fuel cell technology can be installed in light commercial vehicles. "We firmly believe that this technology is ideally suited for use in light commercial vehicles," says Shinichi Yasui, Head of Fuel Cell Development at the world's largest car manufacturer.
MAN, actually an advocate of electric drive, also uses hydrogen as an energy source. However, in the new hTGX model, the light gas is not converted into electricity in a fuel cell, but is burned in a conventional piston engine: MAN will be the first truck manufacturer in Europe to build a small series of 200 vehicles with hydrogen burners from 2025. They will be sold to customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Iceland, among other countries. The MAN h-TGX was presented with the "Truck Innovation Award 2025" at the IAA Transportation. The company sees advantages when transporting heavy goods or in areas without sufficient charging infrastructure.
In the EU, trucks with hydrogen combustion engines are now also classified as "zero-emission vehicles". "This means that such vehicles fully contribute to our CO2 fleet targets, which also opens the door for this small series that complements battery electrics," says Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN. The German Association of the Automotive Industry estimates that around 100,000 hydrogen trucks will be on the road in Europe by 2030, supplying 1500 hydrogen filling stations with the clean fuel.
The EU had long refused to classify the hydrogen combustion engine as an emission-free drive because nitrogen oxides are produced in addition to water vapor in the exhaust gas. However, emissions can be reduced to the detection limit through exhaust gas aftertreatment. Daimler Truck, the world's largest truck manufacturer, is also working on the hydrogen burner and the fuel cell. The first vehicles have already been delivered to customers.
Bosch is also focusing on drive diversity and technological openness. The company assumes that by 2035, one in three trucks worldwide will be powered by a battery and one in ten by a fuel cell. There will also be vehicles with hydrogen engines. "The drive revolution in commercial vehicles will only succeed with technological openness," says Bosch Board of Management member Markus Heyn, "We therefore need a consistent and faster expansion of e-charging stations and hydrogen filling stations in Germany and Europe."
Like Mahle, Bosch and ZF Friedrichshafen also offer components for all types of drive systems: With a new type of blower, ZF ensures that air and hydrogen in the fuel cell can generate electrical energy even more efficiently. Mahle filters and humidifies the air so that the fuel cell is always in the optimum operating range.
By contrast, Chinese manufacturers in Europe are focusing on battery-powered vehicles or combustion engines: Maxus, a brand of the SAIC Group, presented the e-Terron 9 in Hanover, a medium-sized pick-up with all-wheel drive and a 102 kilowatt-hour battery. In addition to transport companies, tradesmen and farmers, Maxus also sees private customers who want to use it to transport their sports equipment as buyers. The Maxus e-Terron 9 can carry a payload of 620 kilograms and tow 3500 kilograms. Sales will start in Germany this year. The price has not yet been set. However, because the platform truck is imported as a commercial vehicle, the Maxus will not be subject to customs duties like other electric cars from China. Like BYD, the SAIC brand also offers vehicles with combustion engines.
In Europe, however, electric vans in particular are considered to be the growth market because numerous major cities, such as Paris, Barcelona, London and Amsterdam, want to make access for vehicles with combustion engines more difficult or ban them altogether. Kia also sees an opportunity here: the South Koreans will be launching two electric vans on the market for the first time next year. The PV5 and PV7 models will be in the one to 3.5 ton class. The battery can be charged with 150 kilowatts. Kia is thus not only transferring its electric expertise to the world of vans. The PV models can also be used particularly flexibly with various superstructures.
The transport industry is currently making every effort to ensure that freight transport on the road becomes climate-neutral. Around a third of CO2 emissions from road transport come from commercial vehicles. And while car use is constantly decreasing, truck traffic will continue to grow - also driven by online trade. (aum)
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Toyota Hilux with fuel cell.
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Toyota Hilux with fuel cell.
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Kia study PV7 Concept at the IAA Transportation 2024.
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Kia study PV5 Concept High Roof at the IAA Transportation 2024.
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Toyota Hilux with fuel cell.
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Toyota Hilux with fuel cell.
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Kia study PV5 Concept High Roof at the IAA Transportation 2024.
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Kia study PV7 Concept at the IAA Transportation 2024.
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Photo source: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Maxus
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