The renowned International Truck of the Year Jury (IToY) has awarded its prestigious 2021 Truck Innovation Award to two fully-electric trucks of Mercedes-Benz: the battery-electric eActros and the fuel-cell concept Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck.
The IToY jury, consisting of 25 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists, representing major trucking magazines from Europe and South Africa, especially highlighted the comprehensive approach to e-Mobility, based on a clear-cut long-term strategy.
The award was digitally handed over to Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, and Sven Ennerst, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG for Development, Procurement and the China Region, on November 30th, 2020.
Reacting, Daum described the award as a strong reaffirmation that Mercedes-Benz is on the right track with its strategy clearly focusing on genuinely locally CO2-neutral technologies: battery power and hydrogen-based fuel cells.
He said: “This combination enables us to offer our customers the best vehicle options, depending on the application. With the eActros, we have demonstrated in recent years, that locally CO2-neutral urban distribution is already possible today. With our GenH2 Truck we additionally presented our specific concept for heavy-duty fuel-cell trucks to perform flexible and demanding long-distance haulage.”
In September this year, Daimler Trucks presented its technology strategy for the electrification of its vehicles, ranging from urban distribution to international long-haul transport, thus reaffirming its commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Protection Convention.
Commenting locally on the award, Michael Dietz, CEO of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa, described it as an incredible achievement for the Mercedes-Benz Truck Brand. He said: “It comes at a time while we locally are still basking over the 2020 International Truck of the Year title awarded to the new Actros, which we successfully launched in South Africa earlier this year.
“We are truly proud to be a part of an organization that is continuously redefining and shaping the future of the trucking industry as we know it and certainly look forward to introducing these innovative front runners in our market in the future. These consecutive awards indeed show that Mercedes-Benz Trucks truly delivers Trucks you can Trust!”
©Copyright MOTORING WORLD INTERNATIONAL.
All rights reserved. Materials, photographs, illustrations and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written permission from Motoring World International
Contact: [email protected]