Yesterday we went to the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover.
You could write a whole article about each of the well over 300 world premieres. I’d have needed time to see them all in a single day first.
Bosch’s vision for autonomous driving
The big theme at this year’s IAA is connectivity. Broadly speaking, if something could be connected to exchange data, someone had built it. There were several visions of the future on display, giving a clear idea of where the industry is heading.
Bosch’s vision
Some of what I saw at the IAA worried me. Bosch’s vision of what things might look like in 20 years or so was particularly unsettling. If its developers have their way, everything will happen online, on Bosch systems of course. From what I could see, the only driving left for the driver is taking the lorry out of the depot. They still get to make a few decisions, such as whether to join a platoon, what music to stream or what to eat at a truck stop selected in advance. They no longer have to drive, reverse onto a loading bay, couple up, secure the load or even book a workshop service. Watching the demonstration, I got the impression that the driver in Bosch’s concept was little more than a token presence to satisfy the law, which still requires a driver to be there even though the system has no use for one.
Talking safety with MAN
Our group talking to a representative from MAN. © by Gregor Ter Heide
Thanks to Daniela Kampschulte, we were able to speak to someone in production at MAN about driver assistance systems. We knew exactly what we wanted to discuss: the highest level of safety that current technology can deliver.
Many manufacturers only offer that level of protection as a paid extra. We wanted to know why they weren’t giving drivers the full benefit of it. Nobody could answer. They acted as though they didn’t know what we meant. Unfortunately, we then learnt that MAN’s technology couldn’t yet stop a lorry hitting someone in the road. They said they needed another two or three years. Once the technology was ready, it might be possible to retrofit it to existing vehicles, provided the wiring looms were compatible or were replaced at the same time. We’ll have to see whether that’s feasible.
The conversation also turned to reports that MAN would soon cease to exist as a brand . The VW Group had already decided to fold MAN into Scania, its other commercial vehicle brand, and keep the Scania name. They confirmed this again, through gritted teeth. A German brand with a long history would then be something you only read about in the history books. A shame, really.
A sterile stand at Mercedes
Most of the stands had a certain warmth to them. The Mercedes stand felt rather sterile to me. In fairness, making around 15,000 m³ of space feel more inviting may have been difficult in the short time available for setting up.
Technical questions at Mercedes
The range of situations covered by the new ABA 4, due out in December, is impressive. The turn assist sensor in the picture covers the entire right-hand side of the lorry, including its trailer or semi-trailer. The system responds to cyclists and to stationary obstacles on a bend. It also takes account of the swept path
of an articulated lorry. The ABA 4 can do more than detect a stationary obstacle on a bend. Mercedes is now at the point where it can detect even a small child playing between parked cars who suddenly steps into the road, and apply full emergency braking. As with the ABA 3, the system can prevent a collision under ideal conditions, even with a small child.
Side sensor for the turn assist system
The stand also featured the 20th anniversary Actros special edition. If you were wondering, it comes in more than one colour and with more than one engine. The edition is available across vehicle configurations, at least with the BigSpace and GigaSpace cabs. Look for the subtle chrome trim on the grille and the softly glowing blue Actros lettering as you step into the cab. The standout feature is the new lighting for the sliding and tilting glass roof: 138 LEDs in an acrylic frame, with colours you can change at the touch of a button. The Mercedes blog has more details. I drove the first-generation Actros back then and a lot has changed. It’s a really well-designed vehicle.
20th anniversary Actros special edition
The new Scania won Truck of the Year 2017. There was plenty for children to do too. Mercedes ran a guided children’s tour, and MAN put on a scavenger hunt. Most of the giveaways were meant for the children, though you could still pick up the odd one yourself…
My daughter had a brilliant time at Renault, even if she doesn’t look it here. Driving an off-road racing truck is hardly easy. It was only a simulator, but it felt pretty realistic.
It was great to catch up with familiar faces again. Maik Erdmann from truckonline.de and Daniela Kampschulte from Danika’s Blog were both there. I could only say a quick hello to a few people in passing, as I was going from one appointment to the next. It was a hectic day, and I learnt a lot.
On my way out I stopped at VXI in Hall 23, Stand C44. They gave me two headsets to include in the review I’ve already announced.
If you’re at the show or planning to go in its last few days, that hall is worth a visit, particularly if you’re looking to spruce up your lorry. You could also see what I can only call a Chinese obsession with gadgets. At all but one of the Chinese exhibitors’ stands, staff were fiddling with their phones. Now and then you’d see someone with a digital camera squeezed into some part of a vehicle and wonder how they’d got there.
A few final thoughts
This is only a brief look at the show. It’s huge, and one article could never cover it all.
Of course, it wasn’t all great. Some of the exhibitors’ staff had odd ideas about how drivers could spend their time in an autonomous lorry. Route planning came up often. A few suggested the driver could take their rest break while the lorry drove itself. After all, they’d have nothing to do. When I asked how that would work if the driver had to be ready to intervene at any moment, all I got was a shrug.
On platooning and protection against hackers, the answers ranged from disbelief (‘Nobody could do that’) to ‘I can’t comment’ or ‘I don’t know’. Years ago, hackers managed to get into an on-board computer through a braking system’s sensors. It’s an issue worth taking seriously.
The next IAA is in two years. I’ll have to set aside more time for that one. Maybe several days…
