IAA Transportation 2024: Industry Facing Major Challenges

From September 17 to 22, 2024, the commercial vehicle industry will meet in Hanover for the IAA Transportation, one of the world's most recognized trade fairs for heavy transport and logistics. However, the sector is under great pressure, as the current significant challenges of the automotive industry, for instance, also impact the commercial vehicle sector: on the one hand, vehicle sales are declining, on the other hand, there's a shortage of skilled workers; and rising energy costs, which particularly affect heavy transport, are being added to the mix. As an additional burden, the German Press Agency (dpa) reports at the beginning of this biennial industry event, vehicle manufacturers are forced to make substantial investments in new technologies and alternative drives.

For the previous IAA Commercial Vehicles, this year the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the organizer, has focused on technological innovations such as electric and hydrogen drives and thus on topics related to the transformation of the mobility sector. Accordingly, the program lists numerous events that aim to address or at least discuss new solutions to current problem areas in logistics and transport.

Promoting Climate-Neutral and Digital Mobility

VDA President Hildegard Müller commented before the trade fair that the industry will showcase its program of already developed and currently produced "products for climate-neutral and digital mobility." As a result, it is now important, said the former CDU politician and since 2020 the second woman at the helm of the VDA, to "bring the corresponding vehicles to the road in appropriate numbers."

Political Representatives and More Exhibitors Expected

According to the organizers, more exhibitors have registered for the trade fair in the capital of Lower Saxony than at the last event in 2022. Two years ago, there were 1,402 exhibitors, 61 percent of which were from abroad. In the end, around 132,740 visitors were informed about the latest developments in the commercial vehicle sector. Now, 1,650 exhibitors from 41 countries are reported. After the press day on September 16, Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing (FDP) and Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) will officially open the six-day event on the following first day of the trade fair, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. The next day, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck (Alliance 90/The Greens) will visit the event. Sunday is the last day of the trade fair.

Renowned Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers Announced

The trade fair will feature the most well-known representatives of the commercial vehicle industry, including heavy-duty vehicle and trailer manufacturers Daimler, MAN, Scania, Volkswagen, Renault, Volvo, Iveco, Ford, Kässbohrer, and Schmitz Cargobull. From the suppliers and technology companies, Bosch, Continental, Schaeffler, and ZF will present their latest solutions as exhibitors and in some cases also give talks on important topics. The Chinese car manufacturer BYD will contribute an electrified double-decker bus, and Tesla will use the platform to present its E-semi-truck.

A Wealth of Premieres - and Criticism

Another highlight: according to the VDA, there will be a total of 145 world and trade fair premieres this time. The latest electric and hydrogen-powered trucks from, for example, Daimler, MAN, Scania, and Volvo will be on display. VW Commercial Vehicles (VWN) will showcase its latest VW Transporter, and the Chinese manufacturer of electric transporters Maxus wants to present its new electric all-wheel-drive pickup to the public for the first time.

But groups that follow the event with skepticism and concern have also announced their presence. As reported by the dpa, the anti-globalization network Attac will advocate "for a climate-just transformation in the freight transport sector" in front of the exhibition hall. The non-governmental organization protests with the slogan "Cargo makes the world go down!" against "disproportionately grown freight transport" and "profit maximization at the expense of people and nature." According to its own statements, the association advocates for the expansion of regional economic cycles and shifting transport to rail.

Open to Mini-Transports and Drones

After the range of presented topics had already been expanded in 2022, for example to include logistics, innovations in public transport, and the digitalization of commercial vehicle traffic, the commercial vehicle fair, which alternates with the IAA Mobility for passenger cars in Munich, is now also including transport-based services and solutions outside of heavy-duty transport in its program. "The showcase for trucks and small transporters has now opened up to new forms of transport ranging from parcel drones to cargo bikes," reads the dpa report. One reason for this shift in interest is also attributed to the shrinking commercial vehicle market:

"In August, just over 23,000 commercial vehicles were newly registered in Germany, 37 percent less than a year ago. Due to uncertain economic prospects, many companies are holding back on purchasing new trucks, according to experts,

the report says. However, due to a "better start to the year," a total increase of six percent can still be noted.

Wide Range of Topics with Events

The hot topics at the trade fair include solutions in the areas of digitalization, software control of vehicles for the "last mile," charging infrastructure, practical reports on operating electric vehicles, electrification of trailers, or H2 refueling technologies for heavy mobility. Moreover, in expert panels, topics such as the future of the transport sector or the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the commercial vehicle sector will be discussed.

To get the struggling sector back on track, some problems or specific challenges will be addressed and examined from multiple perspectives in expert panels at what is, according to its own statements, "the international leading platform for logistics and transport" and "the world's most important venue for the future topics of the industry."

For instance, the newspaper Transport by HUSS-VERLAG, in cooperation with the companies Continental, Deloitte, Michelin, Elexon, Volvo, Webfleet, NOW, and Kögel, is organizing two forums on the Industry Stage in Hall 19/20 on the following topics:

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 2:30 PM:

The Status Quo of Charging Infrastructure - How Far Can the E-Truck Drive in Europe?

This discussion will address the obstacles and potential solutions for expanding the charging infrastructure necessary for the electrification of heavy transport. "What must politics deliver, what must industry deliver?"