ZF Friedrichshafen AG has won the title “Truck Innovation Award 2027” for its TraXon Hybrid transmission system, recognised by the International Truck of the Year jury as the year’s most outstanding innovation in commercial vehicle technology.
On behalf of the jury of 25 renowned trade journalists Chairman Florian Engel presented the prestigious award to Andreas Moser, Member of the Board of Management ZF Friedrichshafen AG, during the Night of the Stars gala evening held at the IAA Transportation in Hanover on Monday, September 14th 2026.
The Truck Innovation Award – which recognises the profound technological transformation and energy transition taking place in the commercial vehicle industry – is presented by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) jury. The internationally composed jury consists of 25 trade journalists from leading commercial vehicle publications in Europe and South Africa.
With TraXon Hybrid, ZF integrates hybrid technology directly into the transmission architecture of heavy commercial vehicles. The system combines ZF’s established expertise in heavy-duty transmissions with its experience in electrified powertrains, providing vehicle manufacturers with an additional route towards reducing fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.
The concept is particularly relevant for markets and transport applications in which the transition to fully electric heavy-duty vehicles is progressing at different speeds in different applications. By integrating an electric drive into the TraXon transmission platform, the system enables manufacturers to incorporate hybrid functionality into conventional driveline architectures while retaining the flexibility required for a broad range of heavy-duty applications.
TraXon Hybrid can support several functions associated with electrified powertrains, including recuperation of braking energy, electric assistance of the combustion engine and electric driving depending on the respective vehicle configuration and application. In this way, hybridization can reduce the workload of the combustion engine and improve overall drivetrain efficiency, particularly in operating conditions with frequent changes in speed and load.
The solution also demonstrates how established heavy-duty powertrain technologies can continue to evolve during the transition towards zero-emission transport. Rather than relying on a single technological pathway, TraXon Hybrid provides truck manufacturers with an additional option for improving efficiency and reducing emissions while adapting their product strategies to different infrastructure, regulatory and operational conditions around the world.
With a total score of 77 jury points, ZF prevailed over four other finalists representing some of the most significant current areas of innovation in road freight transport: BYD’s Flash Charging and Blade Battery 2.0, cellcentric’s BZA375 Fuel Cell, the Level 4 autonomous driving programme from IVECO and PlusAI, and Scania ProDriver.
The award jury recognised TraXon Hybrid for combining a high degree of technical innovation with clear potential for practical application in heavy-duty transport. The technology offers manufacturers another means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions while supporting the transition towards increasingly electrified commercial vehicle powertrains.
At the award ceremony, IToY jury chairman Florian Engel emphasised:
“By intelligent integration of hybridization into a proven Heavy-Duty Transmission platform, ZF TraXon Hybrid demonstrates that the transition towards more sustainable road freight transport is defined by a wide portfolio of different Technologies.”
The 2027 Nominees
(in alphabetical order)
- BYD Flash Charging and Blade Battery 2.0
- cellcentric BZA375 Fuel Cell
- IVECO x PlusAI Level 4 Autonomous Driving Programme
- Scania ProDriver
- ZF TraXon Hybrid
About International Truck of the Year
The International Truck of the Year (IToY) organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. Founded in 1976 by British journalist Pat Kennett, today the 24 jury members represent leading commercial vehicle media throughout Europe.
Moreover, in the last few years, the IToY group has extended its influence by appointing associate members in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States, ensuring global representation of key markets in road freight transport.
The combined audience of the 24 jury members and 11 associate members across all media channels exceeds 50 million.
About DEKRA
The IToY organisation extends its thanks to DEKRA for its independent supervision, vote counting, and certification of the election results. DEKRA was founded in 1925 to enhance road safety through vehicle inspections. Today, DEKRA is the world’s largest independent,non-listedexpert organisation in testing, inspection, and certification. As a global provider of comprehensive services and solutions, DEKRA helps customers to improve their performance in the areas of safety, securityand sustainability.Today, DEKRA’s eight Service Divisions – Vehicle Inspection, Claims and Expertise, Product Testing, Industrial Inspection, Consulting, Audits, Training, and Temp Work – offer a broad service portfolio.DEKRA hasmore than 48,000employees in 60 countries worldwide.