At IAA Transportation 2026 in September, Mercedes Benz Trucks will present key next steps in the transformation of road freight transport toward alternative drivetrains. The focus is on the new eActros Lowliner, with which the manufacturer is strategically expanding its battery-electric portfolio for high-volume applications. As a strong signal to both the industry and the wider public, content creator Tobias Wagner – known on various platforms as “Elektrotrucker” – will set off from the IAA on a planned around-the-world journey in a battery-electric eActros 600. The aim is to demonstrate the real-world suitability of battery-electric long-haul solutions under practical operating conditions. Hydrogen-based fuel cell technology will also play a role at the IAA: starting at the end of this year, a total of 100 Mercedes Benz NextGenH2 Trucks will gradually enter customer operation. The first customer will be logistics service provider Dachser, which will deploy the NextGenH2 Truck primarily in long-haul transport from its logistics center in Karlsruhe. In addition, Mercedes Benz Trucks provides an outlook on further developments in diesel powertrain and safety. This was announced today by Achim Puchert, CEO Mercedes‑Benz Trucks, at the “IAA Media Summit”, the official media kick‑off event for IAA Transportation near Frankfurt am Main.
Achim Puchert: “130 years ago, our founding father Gottlieb Daimler invented the truck. For us, 130 years of trucks mean responsibility to actively shape the future of transport, moving forward with the right technologies and solutions that create real value in our customers’ day-to-day operations. How we bring this ambition to life in the years ahead is what we will show at IAA Transportation, our most important platform to engage with customers, partners and the wider public.”
New addition to the electric truck portfolio: the eActros Lowliner
The Mercedes-Benz eActros Lowliner is available with either two or three battery packs and expands the manufacturer’s electric truck portfolio with a solution for volume transport. In doing so, Mercedes-Benz Trucks specifically addresses the growing demand for locally CO₂e-free transport options in high-volume long-haul logistics. The first new models can be ordered from the third quarter of 2026 in EU30 markets and in additional markets, and will roll off the production line at the Wörth am Rhein plant from the second quarter of 2027.
Around the world in 80 charges with the eActros 600
Mercedes Benz Trucks supports an extraordinary joint project with content creator and professional truck driver Tobias Wagner (“Elektrotrucker”): the first circumnavigation of the globe with a battery-electric long-haul truck. The journey is expected to last around one year, covering approximately 45,000 kilometers across more than 35 countries – with a maximum of 80 charging stops. Wagner plans to start his trip at IAA Transportation in Hanover.
NextGenH2 Truck: hydrogen highlight at IAA
The Mercedes Benz NextGenH2 Truck will be the manufacturer’s highlight vehicle for hydrogen drive technology at the IAA Transportation in September. The fuel cell vehicle marks the next stage of development on the path to hydrogen-based long-haul transport and is consistently designed with future series production in mind.
The NextGenH2 Truck continues to rely on liquid hydrogen and the proven cellcentric BZA150 fuel cell, which has already demonstrated its reliability and efficiency under real-world conditions in the first-generation trucks. At the same time, the vehicle features a comprehensive technical update with current series-production components that are also used in the battery-electric Mercedes Benz eActros 600. These include the aerodynamically optimized ProCabin, the new generation of the integrated e-axle, the modern Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2, as well as the latest safety and assistance systems based on the current E/E architecture. The NextGenH2 Truck uses liquid hydrogen, enabling ranges well over 1,000 kilometers on a single filling – combined with short refueling times and high practicality for heavy-duty long-haul transport.
From the end of 2026, Daimler Truck plans a small series of around 100 Mercedes Benz NextGenH2 Trucks, which are to be deployed in real-world operations with customers in Germany.
Two new safety features for intersections
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks is presenting two new safety features at the IAA Transportation for use at intersections, one of the most common locations for accidents in road traffic. In critical situations, the systems can intervene in a targeted manner to prevent collisions with other road users as far as possible or to mitigate their consequences.
Their development is based on the systematic analysis of real accident events conducted by the company’s own accident research department. Both functions are designed to be available at an early stage and, in some cases, to anticipate regulatory requirements. In doing so, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks continues its consistent advancement of assistance systems, with the clear objective of bringing new safety technologies into series production as quickly as possible and further reducing the number of accidents on the road.