DAF’S XF HYDROGEN WINS 2022 TRUCK INNOVATION AWARD

DAF’s XF Hydrogen - a prototype of a hydrogen-fuelled heavy-duty truck with an internal combustion engine - has won the 2022 Truck Innovation Award.

The prestigious award was handed over to Harry Wolters, President of DAF Trucks, during the press day of the Solutrans Commercial Vehicle and Bodybuilder Show in Lyon, France.

The Truck Innovation Award - which acknowledges the enormous technological changes and energy transition taking place within the automotive sector - has been awarded by the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) jury, a group of 25 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists, representing major trucking magazines from Europe and South Africa. 

With a winning score of 92 votes, DAF’s XF Hydrogen fought off the competition from Mercedes- Benz’s GenH2 Truck, a fuel cell powered long-haul vehicle. 

The ITOY jury praised the handling characteristics, seamless acceleration and user-friendly human- machine interface (HMI) of the prototype. The HMI is similarly a feature of DAF’s New Generation range, which has also been designed for future zero-emission powertrains.

The ITOY journalists appreciated DAF’s innovative approach to alternative propulsion and energy transition, which takes advantage of the dynamic qualities of the internal combustion engine while ensuring zero CO₂ emissions from the tailpipe. 

In this perspective, the jury believes that innovative hydrogen combustion solutions could play an important role by harnessing established technologies and supply chains. They can be an additional component of an OEM’s future powertrain portfolios, alongside battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). 

Summing up the jury vote, International Truck of the Year Chairman Gianenrico Griffini commented: “A transition to CO₂ neutral transport requires a wide array of viable solutions. Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine vehicles can play a role in the future powertrain mix for medium and long-haul applications.” 

According to ITOY rules, a Truck Innovation Award nominee must be an advanced-technology vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of over 3.5-tonnes fitted with an alternative driveline or fuel system. Otherwise, it must feature specific high-tech solutions with regard to connectivity (whether semi or fully-autonomous driving systems), a ‘platooning’ capability, or advanced support services such as remote diagnostics.

About the International Truck of the Year

The International Truck of the Year (ITOY) award was originally launched in 1977 by the British journalist and editor of Truck magazine Pat Kennett. Today, the 24 jury members represent leading commercial vehicle magazines throughout Europe. Moreover, in the last few years, the ITOY Group has extended its sphere of influence by appointing ‘associate members’ in the growing truck markets of China, India, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Iran and New Zealand. Altogether, the combined truck-operator readership of the 24 ITOY full-jury members’ magazines, as well as those of its eight associate members, exceeds one million..

About Dekra

The ITOY group would like to thank Dekra for independently collating all the IToY jury members’ votes and certifying the final result. Dekra's history begins with the automobile. In 1925, the Deutsche Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein e.V was founded in Berlin to ensure the road safety of rapidly developing mobility. Today, Dekra’s eight Service Divisions - Vehicle inspection, Product testing, Consulting, Training, Claims & Expertise, Industrial inspection, Audits and Temporary work - offer a broad service portfolio for safety on the road, at work, and at home on five continents and in 60 countries worldwide. Dekra has around 44,000 employees and generates a turnover of about 3,2 billion euro.