Key takeaways:
- BYD’s new charging technology can deliver up to 1,500 kW through a single connector, although its current commercial rollout is centred on passenger vehicles.
- Cellcentric’s new heavy-duty fuel-cell system delivers up to 375 kW of continuous net power and targets hydrogen consumption below 6 kg/100 km in a fully laden 40-tonne truck.
- Iveco and PlusAI are preparing Level 4-capable trucks for trials on the Madrid-Zaragoza freight corridor, with a safety operator remaining on board.
- ZF’s TraXon 2 Hybrid combines a combustion engine with a 190 kW continuous-output electric motor and can operate as a plug-in hybrid.
- Scania’s ProDriver digital coaching service takes a different approach, using driver training and feedback to cut fuel consumption by up to 5% without changing the truck itself.
Five projects have reached the final round of the annual award, but four are directly focused on truck hardware, propulsion or vehicle operation: BYD’s Flash Charging and Blade Battery 2.0, cellcentric’s BZA375 fuel-cell system, the Iveco and PlusAI autonomous-driving programme, and ZF’s TraXon 2 Hybrid.
The fifth finalist, Scania ProDriver, is a digital driver-coaching service.
The winner will be announced at IAA Transportation in Hanover on 14 September 2026.
BYD targets one of electric trucking’s biggest constraints
Among the finalists, BYD’s Flash Charging technology delivers the most eye-catching number. Combined with the second-generation Blade Battery, the system can charge at up to 1,500 kW using a single connector.
BYD says the battery can be charged from 10% to 70% in around five minutes and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes under its Chinese-market specification.
BYD 1.5 MW Flash Charging system
The second-generation Blade Battery also offers a claimed improvement in energy density compared with the previous version.
For truck operators, however, there is an important caveat: BYD’s current commercial rollout of the technology is primarily associated with passenger electric vehicles rather than a production heavy truck. The nomination should therefore not be read as meaning 1.5 MW charging is about to become available on European HGVs.
Nevertheless, the technology directly addresses one of the biggest barriers facing battery-electric heavy transport: the time required to replenish large batteries.
The charging infrastructure may also prove significant. BYD’s Flash Charging stations use integrated energy storage, allowing electricity to be accumulated before being delivered to the vehicle at very high power. In principle, such an approach could help reduce the instantaneous demand placed on the local electricity grid.
BYD is planning a major rollout of the infrastructure in China, with thousands of Flash Charging stations already announced and further expansion planned.
Cellcentric develops 375 kW hydrogen system for long-haul trucks
Hydrogen remains firmly represented among the finalists through cellcentric’s BZA375 fuel-cell system.
The company, created as a joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, has developed the new unit specifically for heavy-duty applications.
The BZA375 delivers up to 375 kW of continuous net output while weighing less than 500 kg.
Cellcentric’s BZA375 fuel-cell system is designed for heavy-duty long-haul trucks.
Cellcentric is targeting hydrogen consumption of below 6 kg per 100 km in a fully laden 40-tonne truck under real-world conditions.
Compared with its previous generation, the company says the new system can reduce hydrogen consumption by around 20%, while also offering substantially higher power density.
The target operating life is 25,000 hours, which cellcentric says is intended to make the system suitable for demanding long-haul use.
However, this is still a technology aimed at the later part of the decade rather than immediate mass-market deployment.
Pre-series work is under way, but series-production ramp-up is expected towards the end of the decade.
That puts cellcentric’s entry in a very different category from technologies already entering commercial use: it is effectively a bet that fuel-cell trucks will still have a major role once hydrogen infrastructure becomes more widely available.
Iveco and PlusAI take autonomous trucks onto a real freight route
The Iveco and PlusAI entry moves the competition away from propulsion and into automation. The two companies are working with logistics operator Sesé on a programme involving two Iveco S-Way trucks equipped with PlusAI’s SuperDrive autonomous-driving system.
The vehicles are intended to operate on the approximately 300 km freight corridor between Madrid and Zaragoza.
Multi-year testing is due to begin in 2026, with the project described by the partners as the first deployment of Level 4-capable heavy-duty trucks in Southern Europe.
The Level 4 designation, however, requires some context. A safety operator will remain on board throughout the trial, meaning the programme does not yet represent commercial driverless freight operation.
Its significance instead lies in moving autonomous-truck development into a genuine logistics environment rather than limiting testing to proving grounds or tightly controlled demonstrations.
The project will allow the partners to test how autonomous-driving technology performs under real traffic, operational and logistics conditions on one of Spain’s important freight corridors.
ZF argues hybrid trucks could still have a role
ZF TraXon 2 Hybrid transmission for heavy trucks
ZF’s TraXon 2 Hybrid represents yet another technological path. Instead of choosing between a conventional combustion truck and a fully electric one, the system integrates an electric motor into the driveline and allows the vehicle to operate as either a full hybrid or plug-in hybrid.
The electric motor is installed between the clutch and transmission and provides 190 kW of continuous power.
It can propel the truck electrically, support the combustion engine under load and recover energy through regenerative braking.
ZF says the architecture can be paired with several types of combustion engine and fuel, including diesel, HVO and e-fuels, gas and potentially hydrogen combustion.
According to the company’s VECTO-based calculations, a plug-in hybrid vehicle fitted with the system and charged regularly could reduce CO₂ emissions by as much as 47% in long-haul transport and 73% in distribution operations.
Those figures are manufacturer calculations rather than measured savings across a commercial fleet, and actual results would depend heavily on route profile, charging frequency and operating conditions.
Scania takes a very different route: change the driver, not the truck
Scania’s finalist stands apart from the hardware-heavy projects on the shortlist. ProDriver does not require a new powertrain, charging system or autonomous-driving hardware. Instead, it uses digital coaching to help truck drivers consume less fuel with the vehicles they already operate.
Available through the Scania Driver app, the service combines short lessons with practical driving challenges and digital achievements designed to turn fuel-efficient techniques into everyday habits.
Scania says ProDriver can reduce fuel consumption by up to 5%, while fleet managers can follow drivers’ learning progress through My Scania.
The system is designed specifically for truck drivers and works with compatible Scania combustion-engine trucks equipped with the required connectivity hardware.
That makes it perhaps the least spectacular technology among the finalists — but also one of the easiest to deploy. While some of the other projects depend on new vehicles, infrastructure or technologies still approaching series production, ProDriver attempts to extract additional efficiency from trucks already on the road.
