IAA Transportation 2026 Mahle Unveils Range Extender for Heavy Electric Trucks

Mahle has unveiled a range extender for heavy electric trucks ahead of the IAA Transportation. It is designed to increase the range to over 800 kilometers (approx. 500 miles) and facilitate the transition from diesel.

The truck remains the most important means of transportation for goods. It scores points for flexibility, delivers door-to-door, and beats rail in terms of costs—not only in Germany. Its significance is unlikely to diminish. However, road freight transport faces an expensive challenge: it must become more climate-friendly while cost pressures continue to rise.

The sector is responsible for a large share of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Transforming it is no easy task. The industry is increasingly turning to battery-electric trucks—provided they can compete with their diesel counterparts in terms of total operating costs, range, and charging time.

Range on Challenging Routes

The Stuttgart (Germany)-based supplier Mahle aims to make it easier for transport companies to transition from diesel to battery-powered trucks. Ahead of the IAA Transportation, the company presented a new range extender to the press. "Range-extender e-trucks combine the sustainability of electric drives with the flexibility and range of combustion engines. They support the cost-sensitive transport industry in reducing total operating costs over the vehicle's lifecycle and facilitate climate-friendly investments. Furthermore, range-extender BEVs contribute to achieving Europe's CO₂ fleet targets," explained Arnd Franz, Chairman of the Group Management Board and CEO of Mahle, at the company's TechDay on July 21, 2026. Under the motto "Electrified. Efficient. Economical.," Mahle will showcase the system from September 15 to 20, 2026, at the IAA Transportation in Hanover—alongside other products aimed at enhancing sustainability and efficiency in transport. The range extender will make its world debut there.

With the new unit on board, a battery-electric truck should be able to handle all daily driving tasks, according to Mahle. Marco Warth, Head of Corporate Development, puts it this way: "Our range extender is an intelligent emergency generator that kicks in at the right moment and significantly increases the range."

At the heart of the system is a high-voltage generator with a continuous output of 110 kW and a peak output of up to 130 kW, driven by a compact combustion engine. It supplies power to the electric drive even on demanding routes and under full load. According to the supplier, its architecture can be adapted to different power requirements and regional markets. Thanks to a newly developed oil cooling system, the generator achieves a power density of more than 7 kW per kilogram—saving weight and simplifying interfaces.

Mahle has designed the range extender as a standalone unit: the generator, combustion engine, thermal and fluid management, fuel tank, AdBlue tank, and exhaust aftertreatment are housed in a compact box. It fits into the standard battery space of an electric truck, allowing integration into existing vehicle platforms without significant effort. The system replaces about one-third of the battery capacity, meaning the truck requires a smaller battery. This saves approximately 400 kilograms of axle load on the rear axle, reducing the vehicle weight by around 600 kilograms. Ultimately, a range-extender BEV truck is expected to achieve a range of over 800 kilometers (approx. 500 miles), according to the company: around 400 kilometers (approx. 250 miles) from the battery and the remaining 400 kilometers from the range extender.

In range-extender operation, the truck emits over 80 percent less CO₂ than a conventional drivetrain, according to the company. When the biofuel-capable engine runs on biodiesel HVO100, the truck operates almost CO₂-free. A thermal management system with 48 kW high-temperature and 15 kW low-temperature cooling capacity ensures stable operation under heavy-load conditions.

Revised Engine Components

Mahle has also improved the combustion engine to reduce consumption and operating costs. The new Power Cell Unit (PCU) operates more powerfully, durably, and efficiently. The also-new oil management system—comprising an oil filter, oil cooling, bypass valve, and optional additional functions—is said to reduce material costs by up to 20 percent, the CO₂ footprint by up to 50 percent, and weight by up to 25 percent, depending on the housing material, according to the supplier. Additionally, the component is more durable, which reduces total operating costs. Both the PCU and the oil management module are also suitable for other drivetrain types and will debut at the IAA Transportation.

Gallery

Gallery with 5 images

"Our range extender is the key to decoupling the market ramp-up of battery-electric trucks from the insufficient pace of infrastructure development," said Marco Warth at the TechDay. "When the charging station is occupied, weather conditions or traffic jams require alternative routes, when the infrastructure reaches its limits, when other fleets are stranded—an e-truck with a range extender keeps going! Operational availability remains ensured, even during peak times."

Without Rare Earths

As its second world premiere, Mahle is introducing the Contactless Transmitter E-Motor (MCT) at the IAA Transportation—developed for electric drive axles of heavy-duty vehicles. It operates without permanent magnets and thus without rare earth materials. Compared to permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM), the MCT saves up to three kilograms of rare earth magnets per vehicle, according to Mahle—further reducing the ecological footprint of the drivetrain.

The new motor weighs ten percent less and operates more efficiently at the same cost compared to permanent magnet electric motors in real driving cycles, according to the company. Its advantage lies in a higher efficiency across a significantly broader range of various driving scenarios. The MCT delivers a peak output of 370 kW and generates over 900 Nm of torque at 3,900 revolutions per minute. In the VECTO cycle, the EU's simulation tool for the fuel efficiency of new vehicles, the motor achieves an efficiency of 95 percent.

With its electrification products for commercial vehicles, Mahle claims to be one of the market leaders in Europe and aims to expand its presence among Chinese manufacturers, who are increasingly pushing into Europe with battery-electric trucks. "We want to grow with high-performance technologies and market-ready products for electrification," said Franz at TechDay.

Mahle Relies on Multiple Drive Systems in Parallel

Despite all the advancements in electrification, Mahle believes that the combustion engine will remain the dominant drivetrain for commercial vehicles globally: its share is expected to drop only slightly from the current approximately 83 percent to about 73 percent by 2035. Even if the ramp-up of electromobility proceeds as planned, the CO₂ emissions of the conventional fleet would remain at 2010 levels, said Arnd Franz, citing figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA). "Therefore, it is clear: alongside electrification, the supply of sustainable fuels such as HVO100 and bio-LNG must be massively advanced."

According to Mahle, biofuels are already available on a large scale today and immediately reduce CO₂ emissions—especially in existing vehicle fleets. For the past two years, the supplier has been operating its Global Biomobility Center in Brazil, which focuses on advancing biofuels, biomaterials, and their applications. The research facility is currently working on numerous projects, including the more efficient design of biofuel engines and multi-fuel engines, as well as the development of new sustainable materials.

Mahle also considers hydrogen and its derivatives to be an important lever on the path to climate-neutral transportation. The company is therefore involved in all major hydrogen engine projects currently underway.

The conversion of hydrogen into electricity in fuel cells is considered by the supplier as one of the most promising drivetrain concepts for the future—at the same time, the commercial vehicle sector is seen as key to establishing a hydrogen economy. Mahle is participating in numerous major development projects in Europe and Asia. Franz summarizes it as follows: "For the future of the hydrogen economy, one thing is clear: without commercial vehicles with hydrogen drives, the transition will only succeed with massive and therefore high-risk government subsidies."

Politics Must Provide Reliable Framework Conditions

Technology alone will not achieve climate targets, Franz emphasized. Reliable political frameworks are needed. For Europe, he called for an honest review of CO₂ fleet regulations for heavy-duty vehicles—ideally in parallel with the revision of AFIR by the end of 2026. The goals must remain ambitious but should be more closely aligned with market realities, infrastructure, and technical feasibility.

"Technology diversity is crucial," Franz continued. Battery electric systems, hydrogen, and renewable fuels for combustion engines must jointly contribute to CO₂ reduction. Range extender systems should also be recognized as pragmatic accelerators of electrification and be considered in regulations. Franz additionally called for a reliable foundation for the market ramp-up of the various energy carriers: charging infrastructure, hydrogen refueling stations, and economically viable depot concepts are critical prerequisites for the productive use of commercial vehicles.

Successful transformation succeeds where regulation, infrastructure, funding, and industrial policy interact, said Franz. Europe should focus more on a coordinated approach.

"The transformation to climate-neutral road freight transport is technically feasible and economically manageable," said the Mahle CEO. However, this can only be achieved if industry, politics, and customers act in unison.