Mahle is presenting a range extender system for heavy battery-electric trucks at IAA Transportation in Hanover as a world premiere. The system gives battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) a total range exceeding 800 km by combining a 110 kW high-voltage generator with onboard thermal and fluid management in a compact, self-contained unit.

The unit houses the generator, an internal combustion engine (ICE), AdBlue and fuel tanks and exhaust aftertreatment in a single box, replacing roughly one-third of the host vehicle’s battery. This reduces gross vehicle weight by around 600 kg while achieving a power density exceeding 7 kW/kg.

Under real-world conditions, the configuration reduces CO₂ emissions by around 80% against a conventional diesel truck, falling to near-zero when the ICE runs on HVO100 bio-diesel. A 63 kW thermal management system maintains stable operation under heavy-duty loads.

Mahle is also presenting the Mahle Contactless Transmitter (MCT) electric motor, a permanent-magnet-free drive for heavy commercial vehicle axles. The MCT eliminates rare earth requirements, saves up to 3 kg per vehicle, and delivers 370 kW peak at approximately 95% VECTO efficiency.

Mahle sells approximately 8 million electric drive systems annually and is present in every battery-electric and fuel cell truck in Europe. Commercial vehicles represent around 20% of its business.

Why this matters:

• The range extender fits existing BEV platforms without modification.Replacing roughly one-third of battery capacity with a compact generator unit that slots into standard battery installation space removes the need for OEMs to develop new vehicle architectures—lowering the adoption barrier significantly compared with purpose-built range extender trucks.
• Decoupling fleet electrification from infrastructure readiness is the commercial argument.MAHLE’s framing—that operators with range extenders can continue when charging infrastructure is congested or unavailable—addresses the single most cited barrier to heavy truck electrification without waiting for the network investment that has repeatedly slipped behind schedule.
• A rare-earth-free traction motor for heavy commercial vehicles is supply chain risk reduction.Eliminating permanent magnets removes dependence on materials whose supply is concentrated in China and subject to export restrictions—a consideration that has moved from theoretical to urgent given recent rare earth trade tensions.