Shell and FAW TRUCKS Showcase Immersion Cooling at IAA 2026

HANNOVER, Germany — Shell and FAW TRUCKS are showcasing the latest progress in their immersion-cooling battery project at IAA Transportation 2026, with the technology undergoing vehicle validation on the Shell Starship 3.0 Hybrid concept truck. The jointly developed battery pack uses Shell’s electrically insulating immersion-cooling fluid to surround the battery cells, increasing the contact area for heat transfer and helping maintain more consistent cell temperatures under demanding operating conditions.

The battery pack has completed industry-standard testing and has been integrated into the Starship 3.0 Hybrid for vehicle validation. Initial testing has indicated improvements in vehicle performance, energy efficiency and battery-life potential, while the technology remains under validation and has not yet entered series production.

Why Thermal Management Matters

For Matthias Mundt, Shell General Manager E-Mobility & Cross-Portfolio Technology, battery thermal management is becoming increasingly important as commercial vehicles require higher power and operate under increasingly demanding conditions.

Compared with passenger cars, commercial vehicles typically operate for longer periods and under higher loads, placing greater demands on their batteries and cooling systems. This becomes particularly important during sustained high-power charging and discharging, when controlling battery temperature can affect power output, efficiency and battery life.

Conventional battery cooling systems typically remove heat through cooling plates positioned beneath the battery cells. Shell and FAW TRUCKS instead developed an approach in which an electrically insulating fluid comes into direct contact with the cells. The larger contact area allows heat to be transferred more directly and helps maintain more consistent temperatures across the battery pack.

Mundt said this approach is particularly relevant under sustained high-power charging and discharging. More consistent temperature control can help the battery operate within a more stable thermal range and could support higher power output and longer service life.

The technology therefore focuses not simply on removing heat, but on managing temperature more evenly as the demands placed on electrified commercial vehicles increase.

From Battery Testing to Vehicle Validation

The Shell Starship 3.0 Hybrid serves as the vehicle-level test platform for the technology. Developed jointly by Shell and FAW TRUCKS, the concept vehicle builds on the wider Starship program and evaluates technologies including hybrid powertrains, advanced lubrication and battery thermal management under commercial-vehicle operating conditions.

Mundt said the Starship platform allows the two companies to examine how the immersion-cooled battery performs after being integrated into a complete vehicle, moving the evaluation beyond component-level testing.

Initial results indicate a maximum gradability improvement of up to 98%, a 0.8% improvement in energy efficiency and a potential battery-life improvement of up to 32%. The testing has been independently verified by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC).

For commercial vehicles, the results are relevant not only to cooling performance, but also to how the battery performs under high loads, long operating cycles and sustained high-power charging and discharging. Vehicle-level validation also allows the companies to examine how the thermal-management technology works with the battery system, powertrain and overall vehicle operating conditions.

The figures are based on testing under specific conditions and should not be interpreted as representing production-fleet performance. Shell and FAW TRUCKS said final performance data will be released after the validation process is completed.

What It Takes to Reach Commercial Application

The project has not yet entered series production. The battery technology is being evaluated for potential use in future FAW TRUCKS hybrid commercial vehicles, while Shell continues to develop immersion-cooling fluids for broader commercial-vehicle applications.

Mundt stressed that moving from fluid technology to a commercially deployable battery system requires more than demonstrating that the fluid can effectively cool the cells. The cooling medium must work as part of the complete battery architecture, while the system must meet requirements for safety, durability and performance under different operating and environmental conditions.

Immersion cooling therefore needs to be evaluated as part of an integrated system. The cells, battery-pack architecture, control strategy and vehicle operating conditions all need to work together, with low-temperature performance and higher-power applications among the areas requiring further development and testing.

This also shapes the division of work between the two partners. Shell brings its expertise in fluids and thermal management, while FAW TRUCKS contributes commercial-vehicle engineering and vehicle-development capabilities. The Starship program provides a platform for the two sides to evaluate the technology at the vehicle level rather than focusing only on individual components.

For Shell, the work also extends beyond this particular battery pack. Mundt said the company is continuing to develop its immersion-cooling fluid technology and explore its potential application across different commercial-vehicle architectures and operating scenarios

As commercial vehicles become increasingly electrified, batteries, powertrains and charging systems are becoming more closely connected, making thermal management an increasingly important part of vehicle development. For Shell and FAW TRUCKS, the Starship 3.0 Hybrid provides a platform for continued validation, while the next step is to complete the testing and build the data needed to assess potential future applications.