Truck & Off-highway Engineering - December 2025

Overview

The December 2025 issue of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering presents a comprehensive overview of technological progress and innovations shaping the commercial and off-highway vehicle industries. With electrification, automation, software integration, and sustainable practices at the forefront, this issue highlights key developments and expert insights that define the industry's future trajectory.

Editorial and Industry Outlook
Editor-in-Chief Ryan Gehm opens with a preview of upcoming technological showcases, especially at CES 2026, emphasizing how traditional equipment manufacturers like John Deere, Caterpillar, Kubota, and Doosan are expanding their presence at consumer electronics events to highlight advanced digital capabilities. Deere’s revelations, such as its second-generation tech stack and autonomous machines, exemplify the shift from mechanical to software intelligence in off-highway equipment. JLG Industries’ award-winning boom lift with robotic end effector embodies the convergence of robotics, AI, and construction technology, promising new levels of autonomy and precision in complex industrial tasks.

Caterpillar's focus on AI and autonomous functions, including hybrid-electric wheel loader demonstrations, further signals how industrial equipment is adopting intelligent systems that optimize performance and sustainability. These developments mark a growing trend where commercial vehicle makers integrate digital platforms, machine learning, and connected systems to enhance operational efficiency and user benefits.

Key Technical Innovations and Sustainable Technologies
A dedicated section highlights leading technical advances from global players aiming at sustainability and lightweighting. Vortex CAE’s Enlighten topometry-based optimizer represents a significant leap in structural design optimization, achieving a 77% mass reduction in vehicle crash structures while maintaining performance. This optimization could translate to massive raw material and CO2 emission savings, underlining the sustainability impact of advanced computational design tools.

Magna’s use of hemp nylon, a renewable composite material, in exterior vehicle components illustrates how bio-based materials are entering mainstream production, overcoming typical challenges of natural fibers such as moisture susceptibility and processing stability. Meanwhile, adhesion wastewater recovery solutions and innovative aluminum alloy forming processes demonstrate how sustainable product lifecycle management is becoming integral to vehicle manufacturing.

On the AI front, Lucid Motors and Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India showcase how AI-driven physics simulation and automation can accelerate product development and reduce physical prototyping needs, further cutting development cost and emissions.

Electrification and Drivetrain Architecture
Electrification remains a central theme, with FEV North America’s presentation on their electrified planetary gearset (EPGS) drivetrain architecture for off-highway equipment standing out. FEV has developed a modular, scalable system allowing conventional drivetrains to be upgraded to mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or full battery electric vehicle (BEV) configurations without significant architecture changes.

This EPGS system allows engine and transmission downsizing and eliminates some mechanical complexity by reducing gear counts, all while integrating features like electric power take-offs (PTOs) and enabling electric-only drive modes. The ability to blend combustion and electric modes flexibly provides operators with cost savings and efficiency improvements, particularly suited for heavy-duty and agricultural machines. This approach underlines a pragmatic, systems-level rethinking of off-highway electrification that balances cost, complexity, and operational benefits.

Insights from PACCAR CTO on Software, Autonomy, and Electrification
A featured keynote from John Rich, PACCAR senior vice president and CTO, at the SAE COMVEC 2025 conference offers deep perspectives on the increasingly software-driven nature of commercial vehicles. PACCAR’s strategy emphasizes a methodical and collaborative approach to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), recognizing that rewriting complex electrical architectures is costly and risky without tight supplier coordination and clear customer benefits.

Rich clarifies PACCAR’s position on autonomous vehicles (AVs): rather than developing autonomous driving technology themselves, PACCAR focuses on engineering highly reliable, cybersecure, digitally controlled trucks that robustly integrate third-party autonomous systems. They aim to reduce AV hardware costs while maintaining system reliability and driver support, highlighting a practical "stay in our lane" approach within broader ecosystem partnerships.

On battery-electric and hybrid vehicles, Rich is cautiously optimistic: BEVs offer advantages for shorter, back-to-base routes but are not yet broadly viable for heavier, long-haul applications. Hybrids represent a highly effective intermediate solution, reducing fuel costs with minimal downsides, a technology sometimes overlooked amid the frenzy around full electrification.

Rich also notes a shift in required engineering skills—from a historically mechanical focus toward combined expertise in electrical, software, and systems engineering—underpinning a move from disconnected subsystems to fully integrated vehicle system design. Tools such as simulation and system-level design are becoming essential for delivering complex, electrified commercial vehicles with consistent performance.

Product and Component Highlights
The issue includes concise product briefs showcasing innovations such as Volvo Penta’s Co-Pilot vehicle control platform integrating HMI, safety, and operational tools for off-highway use; Novotechnik’s new multi-turn sensors with diverse communication interfaces and non-volatile memory; Goodyear’s Cooper WORK regional haul tire designed for durability and fuel efficiency; and Eaton’s durable, sealed multiplexed rocker switch modules that reduce wiring complexity, weight, and improve reliability for harsh environments.

Concluding Perspective
This issue paints a picture of an industry in transition—embracing electrification, autonomy, sustainable materials, and AI-driven design—while balancing technological ambition with cost, reliability, and operational practicality. The collective message from OEMs, suppliers, and technology developers is clear: successful innovation in commercial and off-highway vehicles depends on integrated system design, cross-industry collaboration, and incremental technologic steps that meet real-world customer needs.

As the industry moves confidently into 2026, enabled by smarter software, advanced materials, and electrified powertrains, this issue underscores that the future of truck and off-highway engineering will be defined not just by mechanical prowess but by the intelligent fusion of hardware, software, and sustainable innovation.