Thermo King Wins Three Prestigious Recognitions at IAA Transportation 2024

24th October 2024

Electric Advancer A-500e Spectrum powered by AxlePower wins International Trailer Award in the Environment category; Thermo King also secures top honour at the ETM Awards for the ThermoKare 24/7 fleet monitoring.

Thermo King®, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, was recognised with three prestigious industry awards at the IAA Transportation 2024 exhibition in Hannover, Germany. The Advancer A-500e Spectrum powered by AxlePower was honoured with the International Trailer Award 2025 in the Environment category. Thermo King also received top recognition in the ETM Awards, winning Best Brand in Transport Management Systems for its ThermoKare 24/7 Fleet Monitoring solution. Additionally, the Advancer A-500 Spectrum unit secured second place in the Trailer Refrigeration category.

“Over the past decade, we’ve made significant innovations in transport refrigeration solutions that are decarbonising the cold chain,” said Claudio Zanframundo, president Thermo King EMEA Truck, Trailer, Bus and Global Marine, Rail and Air. “This transformation is not just a vision—it is happening now with all-electric refrigeration units, energy recovery technology, renewable power sources, and digital solutions for transporting goods across road, rail, ocean, and air. The commercial transport sector is at a pivotal point, rapidly shifting towards alternative, low-emission solutions and Thermo King is well positioned to support our customers on that journey.”

International Trailer Award 2025

Thermo King’s Advancer A-500e powered by AxlePower won the International Trailer Award 2025 in the Environment category. This multi-temperature electric trailer refrigeration unit, debuting at IAA 2024, was recognised for its emission-free, energy-efficient design that leverages AxlePower’s self-charging system to recover and reuse energy generated during trailer operation.

Since its launch, AxlePower has been successfully used on trailers in configurations ranging from hybrid to full electric, for both daily distribution of fresh products and long-haul trips. These trailers have collectively covered over 1 million kilometres, generating nearly 50,000 kWh of energy, and have operated successfully in extreme climates – from northern Europe to South Africa – without the need for shore power.

On average, one AxlePower system can reduce CO₂ emissions by 7.5 tonnes annually compared to a diesel transport refrigeration unit (TRU), with reductions reaching up to 12 tonnes per year for trailers operating approximately 3,000 hours in distribution.

The International Trailer Award, formerly known as the Trailer Innovation Award is presented in collaboration with the German Transport Association (VDA) and judged by an international panel of leading journalists from transport publications from Europe, the US and South Africa, solidifying its global reputation for recognising excellence in trailer innovation.

ETM Awards 2024

Thermo King was also recognised at the ETM Awards 2024, winning Best Brand in the Transport Management Systems category for its ThermoKare 24/7 Fleet Monitoring solution.

ThermoKare 24/7 Fleet Monitoring leverages Thermo King TracKing connectivity technology, combining real-time monitoring of the refrigerated fleet, remote-diagnosis and proactive support performed around the clock by experts of the Thermo King Uptime Centre. Every identified issue triggers Thermo King Uptime Center to resolve the problem remotely, using TracKing two-way communication. In cases requiring technician intervention, customers receive immediate notifications and directions to the nearest Thermo King dealer and service station.

In the same competition, Thermo King’s Advancer A-500 Spectrum multi-temperature refrigeration unit secured second place in the Trailer Refrigeration category.

The ETM Awards, organised by ETM Verlag, are Germany’s largest commercial vehicle readers’ choice awards. Voted on across 24 categories by over 3,000 readers of the publications trans aktuell, FERNFAHRER, and eurotransport.de, these awards recognise top products, services, and brands in the commercial vehicle and transport industry.

“These awards reflect our dedication to advancing the cold chain industry through sustainability, electrification and digitalisation,” said Claudio Zanframundo. “While pioneering electrification, we continue to lead in traditional combustion engine segments, providing technologies that reduce emissions, enhance operational efficiency, and improve cost-effectiveness for our customers. Whether through electric or traditional units, or energy recovery systems like AxlePower,
Thermo King supports customers in both optimising their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) fleets and transitioning to electric alternatives.”

For more information about the Thermo King solutions, please visit www.europe.thermoking.com and the Thermo King IAA e-Zone.