With an event as big as the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany, it’s hard to pick a single element as the star of the affair. Not least because, for the first time in ages, I wasn’t actually there. But three of my colleagues were, and I followed last week’s two press-only days pretty closely online, so I’ve ended up with a good fix on things. 

 

Of course I previewed the IAA introductions of ZF and Eberspaecher last time out. See here.

 

Not all of what goes on over there is directly relevant to those of us in North America by any means, but there’s an awful lot that’s just plain interesting. Like the new Mercedes-Benz "Aerodynamics" rig, a long-haul Actros tractor and trailer that can save a claimed 2000 litres of diesel annually. Daimler also showed off a second vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz "Aerodynamics" Actros straight truck that saves between 300 and 600 litres of diesel annually. Both look spectacular, and they’re not just concepts but actually buildable. More on them in a bit.

 

Other highlights included the naming of the 2013 European Truck of the Year (the Iveco Stralis Hi-Way), the first public showing of Volvo’s all-new FH truck and tractor (see a video here), and a very spiffy MAN design study, the Concept S tractor and AeroLiner trailer from Krone, a matched and very streamlined unit. 

 

THE MERCEDES-BENZ AERODYNAMICS effort is interesting all sorts of ways, and I’d love to see some of these ideas employed over here. It began with a  study last year and then the trailer was further designed and developed by Mercedes-Benz, creating something that could be built by any trailer manufacturer. 

 

It lowers the air resistance of the entire combination by about 18%, according to the engineers, which results in a fuel-consumption reduction in long-haul work of approximately 4 to 5%. This was confirmed first in the wind tunnel, with a 1:2.5-scale model, and then in real-world tests on the road.

 

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros with StreamSpace cab remains unchanged, being "already aerodynamically optimised," says Daimler. It’s equipped with an air deflector on the roof, cab side deflectors, and side trim panels between the axles. This aerodynamics package is a factory option now.

 

The trailer is based on a conventional 13.6 m reefer van body, and in terms of  ground clearance, approach/departure angle, or ease of loading at the rear, it meets all the usual requirements of everyday use. The van itself remains unchanged.

 

Daimler partnered with trailer specialist Schmitz Cargobull. Working with designs furnished by Mercedes designers and engineers, Schmitz developed the attachments on its own.