At yesterday's “Stars of the Year” gala evening at this year's IAA TRANSPORTATION, the highly coveted Truck of the Year trophy in the form of a stylized steering wheel was awarded to Mercedes-Benz Trucks CEO Karin Rådström by jury president Gianenrico Griffini.
The new heavy-duty battery electric vehicle (BEV) produced by the German truck manufacturer prevailed against tough competition in this year's contest for the “Oscar” of the truck industry. Volvo Trucks' new Aero series with electric and conventional drive systems came second in the international poll. Bronze was awarded to the new battery-electric Iveco S-eWay tractor unit. This means that the top three places in the ITOY contest went to vehicles with electric drives across the board.
This is the second time that an electric truck has won the “International Truck of the Year” award, which dates back to 1977. Last year, the Volvo FH Electric was the first heavy-duty battery-electric truck to win the ITOY race. On this year's ITOY shortlist of candidates, five of the seven competitors were already e-models with zero emissions in direct driving mode.
This is a further sign that the change in drive technology is clearly gaining momentum and that European transport companies' interest in the new, locally emission-free technology has finally been aroused.
According to the rules of the International Truck of the Year (IToY), the prize is awarded annually to the vehicle introduced in the last twelve months that contributes the most to efficiency in road transport. The assessment is based on a number of key criteria, including technological innovation, comfort, safety, drivability, energy efficiency, environmental performance and total cost of ownership (TCO).
The new Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 has already completed a test tour of over 15,000 kilometers throughout Europe on its way to this year's ITOY title. The numerous ITOY journalists who took part in the long-distance testing of the eActros 600 this summer praised the advanced aerodynamics of the new ProCabin. With its protruding front section and smooth, curved surfaces in a completely new design language, the ProCabin is said to improve air resistance by nine percent compared to the current model.
The ITOY journalists also praised the performance of the drive system, which is based on two 400 kW electric motors on the electric rear axle and three LFP battery packs, each with a capacity of 207 kWh. This powertrain enables smooth acceleration with three different driving programs in a quiet, vibration-free working environment.
As the Truck of the Year judges discovered during the extensive European test tour, a standard 40-ton eActros 600 semitrailer truck with an installed capacity of over 600 kWh can cover a range of over 500 kilometers without intermediate charging.
Summing up, the chairman of the International Truck of the Year jury, Gianenrico Griffini, said: “Mercedes-Benz Trucks designed the eActros 600 as an electric truck from the outset. This decision has resulted in a state-of-the-art electric truck capable of performing a wide range of long-haul tasks.”
To be seen in Hall 19/20, Stand A73
International Truck of the Year
The International Truck Of The Year (IToY) organization was founded in 1977 by British trade journalist Pat Kennett and now comprises 24 expert judges from Europe's leading transport trade magazines with a combined readership of over one million. In addition to the ITOY jury members, the expert group has been expanded to include associated expert members in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and South Africa to further reflect the most important global markets for road freight transportation. The aim of the annual “International Truck of the Year” award is to honor the new truck that makes the most important contribution to the sustainable development of road freight transport. To this end, the internationally recognized expert jurors evaluate both technical innovations and further developments, as well as innovations that have a direct influence on overall economy, safety or environmental relief. The total reach of the 24 jury members and the 10 associated members exceeds the 1.1 million mark.
