Two projects underway by MAN Truck & Bus have jointly been recognised by the International Truck of Year award jury.
Both projects, regarded as key commitments by TRATON Group, corporate parent of MAN, are pioneering autonomous transportation solutions.
Known as ANITA (Autonomous Innovation in Terminal Operations) and ATLAS-L4: autonomous driving on the motorway, the projects have made significant progress since their inception.
Together with partners in the ANITA project, MAN developed a self-driving truck that autonomously handles container loading from road to rail and integrates with digital planning processes.
In testing, the autonomous truck was up to 40 per cent more productive than conventional vehicles, demonstrating its potential for efficient, flexible and sustainable operations.
Meanwhile, ATLASL4 – which gained support from a German government ministry – hopes to have a prototype vehicle on the road by the end of 2024.
“The award is not only a great honour for ANITA and ATLAS-L4 and the partners involved it is also an acknowledgement of the achievements of all our colleagues at MAN, who have been driving automated driving forward with great expertise and passion for many years,” said Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus.
“Alongside digitalization and CO₂-free drives, this is the third key pillar in the transformation to the climate-friendly, safe, efficient and intelligently networked transport of the future,” he said.
In his laudatory speech, jury chairman Gianenrico Griffini, representing 25 international truck trade journalists, emphasised “the advanced characteristics of both projects, the contribution to hub-to-hub and intermodal transport automation, and the fruitful project cooperation between MAN Truck & Bus, logistics providers, component suppliers, research institutions, and public infrastructure operators” as essential for the Truck Innovation Award 2024 to be presented to the MAN projects ANITA and ATLAS-L4 for autonomous driving.
The award was presented at Solutrans, a biennial trade show for heavy and light commercial vehicles in Lyon, France, where the Volvo FH Electric was crowned as the International Truck of the Year 2024.
This is the second time that the prestigious Truck Innovation Award 2024 has gone to an MAN automation project.
In 2019, the automated construction site safety vehicle AFAS won the coveted industry prize at its very first edition.
