Key takeaways:
- Volvo is launching a new 13-litre engine platform covering the D13 diesel and G13 gas engines. The company says the new diesel can use up to 4% less fuel.
- The new Volvo D13 delivers between 380 and 560 hp, while the G13 produces between 420 and 500 hp. The Volvo FH Aero Electric is designed to offer up to 700 km of range, and Volvo is also showing a hydrogen combustion-engine truck planned for market launch before 2030.
- Mercedes-Benz is expanding its electric range with the eActros Lowliner, available with battery capacities of 414 kWh or 621 kWh.
- The eActros 600 Lowliner is expected to cover around 500 km with a 40-tonne combination.
- Mercedes-Benz is also preparing around 100 NextGenH2 fuel-cell trucks. The first vehicles are due to enter customer operations at the end of 2026, with a claimed range of more than 1,000 km.
- Daimler is also announcing further development of the conventional diesel powertrain at the IAA, although it had not disclosed the full technical details before the show.
Volvo builds one platform for several fuels
One of Volvo Trucks’ main powertrain premieres at this year’s show is a completely new 13-litre combustion-engine platform. It underpins two engines: the D13 diesel and the G13 gas unit. Volvo stresses that this is more than another update to an existing engine. The new architecture has been designed to meet current and future emissions requirements while accommodating alternative fuels.
The D13 will be offered with outputs ranging from 380 to 560 hp and torque between 1,800 and 2,900 Nm. The G13 will deliver between 420 and 500 hp and between 2,400 and 2,800 Nm. Volvo says the new D13, combined with its latest fuel-saving technologies, can deliver up to 4% lower fuel consumption than the engine it replaces. The company notes that this figure comes from a simulation involving a specific Volvo FH configuration and will vary according to payload, terrain, driving style and vehicle specification.
Sales of the new engines began in the third quarter of 2026. They will be available in the FM, FMX, FH and FH Aero, among other models.
Volvo seeks to narrow the gap between gas and diesel trucks
The G13 is particularly notable. Volvo is seeking to move gas-powered trucks beyond a role defined mainly by their emissions advantages. The new engine is intended to deliver diesel-like performance, including comparable torque and capability in demanding heavy-duty applications. Its maximum torque of 2,800 Nm is 300 Nm higher than that of Volvo’s previous gas engine.
Volvo designed the architecture to support several fuel pathways. The diesel version can run on HVO and B100, while the gas engine can use biogas. The same platform is also being developed for hydrogen burned directly in the engine.
Hydrogen combustion is Volvo’s alternative route
At IAA, visitors can ride in a prototype FH Aero fitted with a hydrogen combustion engine. Volvo began road testing the technology in 2026 and plans to bring trucks using this powertrain to market before 2030.
The system uses HPDI, or high-pressure direct injection. A small pilot-fuel injection initiates combustion, allowing hydrogen to be burned using an approach similar to that of a diesel powertrain. Volvo sees the technology primarily serving long-haul operations and routes where charging infrastructure for heavy electric vehicles remains insufficient.
Electric FH Aero targets 700 km of range
Volvo is pursuing battery-electric transport at the same time. One of the main attractions on its stand is the Volvo FH Aero Electric, with an extended range of up to 700 km. Visitors can test it at IAA, along with an FH Aero equipped with the new D13 diesel, the gas-powered version and the hydrogen prototype.
Volvo is therefore presenting four parallel routes in Hanover: batteries, diesel and renewable fuels, gas and hydrogen. The company does not present them as mutually exclusive technologies. Instead, each is intended for different transport profiles and infrastructure conditions.
Mercedes develops an electric tractor for mega-trailers
Mercedes-Benz Trucks is pursuing a similarly multi-track strategy, although its Hanover presentation places greater emphasis on electric and hydrogen powertrains. The most significant addition to its electric range is the eActros Lowliner, designed for volume transport with mega-trailers. Its low fifth-wheel height is intended to preserve the maximum available loading height, making the electric tractor easier to deploy in fleets where cargo volume, rather than weight, is the main constraint.
Mercedes-Benz will offer two versions.
The eActros 400 Lowliner will use two LFP battery packs with a combined capacity of 414 kWh, while the eActros 600 Lowliner will have three packs and 621 kWh.
For the 600 version, Mercedes-Benz quotes around 500 km of range on a single charge for a 40-tonne combination under specified test conditions. The smaller eActros 400 Lowliner, meanwhile, is expected to provide greater payload capacity — up to 24 tonnes, compared with around 21 tonnes for the 600.
Orders are expected to open in the third quarter of 2026, with series production at Wörth scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
Mercedes keeps hydrogen in the mix
The second major pillar is the NextGenH2 Truck. Mercedes-Benz is taking a different approach from Volvo. Rather than burning hydrogen in a piston engine, it uses fuel cells to generate electricity for the truck’s electric drivetrain.
The NextGenH2 runs on liquid hydrogen and uses cellcentric BZA150 fuel-cell technology. Mercedes-Benz claims more than 1,000 km of range on a single refuelling. At the end of 2026, the company plans to build a pilot series of around 100 vehicles for real-world customer operations in Germany.
Dachser is expected to be the first operator. Its first truck is scheduled to begin work at the end of December 2026, followed by two more vehicles by the middle of 2027.
Large-scale production remains further away. Daimler expects series-produced hydrogen trucks to arrive only at the beginning of the next decade.
Diesel remains part of Mercedes’ roadmap
Mercedes-Benz does not present electrification and hydrogen as the end of combustion-engine development. In its previews for IAA, the company said it would also show additional measures to improve diesel powertrain efficiency. Mercedes-Benz had not disclosed the technical details of this part of the programme before the show.
The current range still includes the third generation of the 12.8-litre OM 471, among other engines. When it was introduced, Mercedes-Benz claimed fuel savings of up to 4%, depending on the version and application. That remains relevant to the show’s wider message: the powertrain transition is not following a simple script in which diesel disappears and electric trucks take its place.
New powertrains are being developed under EU regulatory pressure
Mercedes-Benz’s technology push also has a regulatory dimension. At a press evening ahead of IAA Transportation, Karin Rådström, chief executive of Daimler Truck, again highlighted the gap between the pace at which manufacturers are developing new products and demand for zero-emission trucks. She said:
Manufacturers have done their part: they have developed and launched more than 60 different electric truck models. To meet the industry’s 2030 CO2 targets, zero-emission trucks would need to account for around 35% of new registrations, according to manufacturers’ calculations. Daimler has previously said that current market electrification rates remain well below that level.
The stakes are high. According to Rådström, each percentage point by which Daimler falls short of the target could result in a fine of around €120 million. A 10-percentage-point shortfall could therefore produce penalties comparable to Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ annual operating result.
The head of Daimler Truck argues that vehicle availability is no longer the only obstacle. Charging infrastructure and operating economics are now just as important. She pointed to Germany as an example of a policy approach that combines financial incentives with lower road charges for zero-emission trucks.
One show, two different hydrogen strategies
The comparison between Volvo and Mercedes-Benz shows how broad the technology mix remains in heavy-duty transport. Volvo is developing hydrogen combustion by building on its experience with diesel and gas engines. Mercedes-Benz is choosing fuel cells and liquid hydrogen while retaining an electric drivetrain.
Both manufacturers are also developing battery-electric trucks for long-haul work while continuing to improve combustion engines. IAA Transportation 2026 therefore does not settle the question of which powertrain will replace diesel.
Instead, it suggests that heavy-duty transport will use several technologies in parallel for years to come. The choice between batteries, hydrogen, gas and increasingly efficient combustion engines will depend largely on the route, available infrastructure and the economics of each application.
