Under the motto “We deliver your success”, Kögel Trailer GmbH will showcase two vehicles at IAA Transportation 2026 that exemplify a new approach to trailer development: the KÖGEL COOL LITESHELL and the e-optimized KÖGEL LIGHT PLUS. Both demonstrate how the trailer can contribute to the efficiency of the entire transport system.
With the multiple award-winning KÖGEL COOL LITESHELL, efficiency starts with vehicle weight. Its LITESHELL panels, used in the side walls and roof, eliminate the need for conventional steel outer skin. This makes the refrigerated trailer around 700 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, creating additional payload capacity while reducing energy consumption. Fuel savings of 0.30 liters per 100 kilometers and emission reductions of 0.8 g CO₂ per kilometer are possible. If the additional payload is fully utilized, this could theoretically eliminate around one trip in every 32. The COOL LITESHELL highlights a key relationship in road freight transport: vehicle weight, payload, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions are directly interconnected.
The perfect fit: When the trailer matches the electric truck
The e-optimized KÖGEL LIGHT PLUS, awarded first place in the Chassis category at the International Trailer Award 2027, applies this principle to heavy-duty electric transport.
The additional battery weight of electric tractor units changes the weight distribution of the vehicle combination. Although EU regulations allow zero-emission tractor units to operate at a permissible gross combination weight of up to 42 tons under certain conditions, axle load limits remain unchanged. The driving axle can therefore become the limiting factor for payload.
The e-optimized LIGHT PLUS addresses this through optimized load distribution, not simply reduced tare weight. Its wheelbase from the kingpin to the first trailer axle has been shortened by around 300 millimeters, shifting the load distribution and reducing the load on the tractor’s drive axle.
With a standard trailer, an electric truck can achieve a maximum payload of around 20 tons under even load distribution. Depending on the tractor unit, the e-optimized LIGHT PLUS can enable up to four tons of additional payload.
Efficiency engineering: The entire transport operation matters
Both vehicles embody Kögel’s Efficiency Engineering approach. Instead of optimizing the trailer in isolation, Kögel considers the interaction between tractor unit, trailer, payload and operating conditions. For the COOL LITESHELL, vehicle weight is the key efficiency lever. For the e-optimized LIGHT PLUS, it is the precise matching of the trailer to the weight distribution of an electric vehicle combination. This approach is being extended to other models in the LIGHT family. The KÖGEL MEGA LIGHT will be available in an e-optimized version from the end of 2026, with further models to follow.
From trailer manufacturer to partner network
Kögel is also expanding its collaboration across the transport value chain. The traditional relationship of Kögel – trailer – customer is evolving into a partner network that combines expertise in technology, digitalization, services and tractor-unit integration.
The trailer is thus becoming an increasingly important component of a complex transport system. “We deliver your success” captures Kögel’s ambition: the focus is not on individual product features, but on the contribution a trailer can make to the economic efficiency of the entire transport operation.
