The IAA in Hannover opens doors for the press on Monday the 19th of September and will welcome the public until the 25th. Swapping its byname ‘Commercial Vehicles’ for ‘Transportation’, the exhibition halls want to embrace a broader scope on logistics and moving goods and people. At the same time, it inaugurates a Last Mile Area for the very first time. We list 10 innovations to look out for during this newest edition.
1. SONO MOTORS – SOLAR KIT
Specialist in solar vehicles Sono Motors hits the Hannover floor for the first time. The company premiers solar solutions for commercial vehicles, ranging from vans to trucks to buses. Their kits can power energy-consuming auxiliary systems, like refrigeration, or help charge the battery of e-powered vehicles through sunbeams. Maybe not a bad idea in times of high energy prices.
2. CONTINENTAL – TRAILER CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
These days there’s an app for everything. Continental has developed the Trailer Capacity Assessment app to cope with the increasing demand for cargo capacity. Aided by AI this smartphone solution automatically calculates the available load space left in trailers based on a picture from the camera. Remedying partial loads is also helping sustainability, says the supplier.
3. BRIDGESTONE – FLEETCARE
This integrated solution for tyre monitoring and fleet management was presented at the beginning of the summer, but the IAA is an excellent place to dive deep into the software. Jointly developed with its Webfleet branch, Fleetcare facilitates decision-making for fleet managers to boost cost-efficiency, sustainability and convenience. One partner for both tyre and fleet assessments is undoubtedly less complex.
4. DAIMLER TRUCK – FUSO E-CANTER
Offered in weight classes from 4.2 to 8.5 tons, the new Fuso E-Canter relies on more battery choices (three) and an upgraded powertrain. Over in Japan, this LCV will be capable of V2X charging, but that feature remains blocked in Europe. The projected ranges reach from 80 to 200 kilometres, and a charge manager can pick the times when electricity cost is lower.
5. BOSCH – RIDECARE INSIGHT
Smoking inside the vehicle, harsh driving, damage… car sharing carries particular worries for fleet managers and mobility service providers. The Ridecar Insight tool from Bosch returns real-time information about these mishaps to increase transparency and safety. This one-box solution wants to safeguard assets and improve the user experience.
6. FORD – CUSTOM E-TRANSIT
You can’t visit the IAA without looking at the all-electric version of Europe’s best-sold van especially since Ford has released the final details on its Custom E-Transit. The range of 380 kilometres comes from a battery pack of 74kWh, the payload is 1,100 kg and towing capacity is up to two tonnes. Integrated power sockets for equipment turn this van into a mobile workbench.
7. MAHLE – SCT
There’s a backdrop with electric motors; they can only reach peak power for a brief moment, whereafter they only arrive at 60-70%. Mahle has broken the code and presents the Superior Continuous Torque Engine (SCT) in Hannover. Since it can work continuously at 90% of its peak power, it is well-suited to make commercial vehicles run more efficiently.
8. SEVIC – V500e
Over to the Last Mile Area, where the Sevic V500e makes its show debut. This all-electric cargo vehicle has a class-leading range of 300 kilometers and a flexible cargo system to adapt to different user cases. It might be the most clever zero-emission solution for urban delivery to date. The V500e is 3.7 metres long and can reach a top speed of 80 km/h.
9. GOODYEAR – TOTAL MOBILITY
Total Mobility is a fully integrated end-to-end solution for fleets offering optimization of everyday operations. Goodyear developed the tool for reducing downtime and cancelling out human error. The app centralizes on tyre management, but Goodyear promises added functionality which will be unveiled in the course of the trade fair.
10. RINSPEED – CITYSNAP 4
Swiss inventor Frank M. Rinderknecht brings the fourth generation of his Rinspeed CitySnap delivery system to the IAA. These mobile locker stations aim to reduce the number of delivery vehicles by half, make parcel delivery more sustainable, try to revolutionize the handover phase, and cut urban congestion. The list of partners in this project is quite impressive.
Images: IAA/Sono Motors/Continental/Bridgestone/Daimler Truck/Bosch/Ford/Mahle/Sevic/Goodyear/Rinspeed