Last week, the IAA Transportation exhibition was held on 19-25 September in Hanover, Germany. With a variety of companies joining from light commercial, heavy duty, bus, and logistics sectors. Robert Camm, a Senior Consultant in Frost & Sullivan’s Mobility practice, was in attendance for the first two days of the event.
As the first IAA Transportation for 4 years, there was certainly a lot to catch up on, with major OEMs, suppliers and new market entrants all arriving with their latest innovations. At the major press conferences attended by Daimler Truck, Iveco, Nikola, DAF, and Quantron, there was a common theme of electrification and decarbonization, with each unveiling new vehicles equipped with either battery electric, or fuel cell powertrains.
As the vehicles prepare for introduction, the question may remain as to how these vehicles will be recharged or refuelled. However, OEMs and suppliers were on-hand to present their solutions to support infrastructure challenges alongside vehicles. It was also highlighted that collaboration is key, with the presence of CV Charging Europe, a newly founded joint venture between Daimler Truck, Volvo, and Traton Group to grow charging infrastructure.
As the IAA Transportation event closes for this year, it will be interesting to follow as the vehicles introduced at this year’s exhibition make their way onto the road.
Key Takeaways
- Battery electric and hydrogen the focus for major OEMs – Many of the major launches were focused on electrified powertrains, with a split between battery electric and hydrogen offerings, Indicating that the electrified future of CV industry is coming now rather than the future.
- OEMs are not trying to do it all themselves – When it comes to ZEV, collaboration is increasingly important to achieve ambitious net-zero goals. Whilst companies compete to be the first to market, there is also room for some collaboration. Cellcentric is an example between Daimler Truck and Volvo. Whilst there are new partnerships and supply agreements forming, such as between Ballard and Quantron, and Hyundai and Iveco.
- There is still place for the ICE engine – Whilst much of the talk was on BEV and FCEV powertrains, there was still some focus on the internal combustion engine. However rather than focusing on diesel variants, there were numerous alternative fuel offerings, with biogas and hydrogen-ICE offerings. For net-zero to be possible, the key is to have an abundance of offerings, which suits all customers and markets.
- Access to infrastructure is key to success – As the vehicles are introduced, access to charging or refuelling remains a key question. OEMs are looking to offer their own services, whilst providers such as Shell and EON also look to offer services to fleet customers. Collaborations such as CV Charging Europe are also looking to accelerate the development of public charging infrastructure. There is the hope that stakeholders can learn from some of the lessons from passenger vehicle charging, and this will lead to a faster and more effective roll-out.
- Autonomous functionality not a focus for now – Whilst the future of transportation will almost certainly involve autonomy, this was not the focus of OEM press conferences. However, there was activity from other players such as Einride, demonstrating a growing capability for remote monitoring and teleoperation for restricted area operation.
For further insights into the Future of Commercial Vehicles, or to learn about our 2022 multiclient initiative on ‘ZEV Business Models’, please contact Robert Camm at: Robert.camm@frost.com.
