ZF continues to lead the charge towards developing innovative technologies to make commercial vehicles more sustainable, with its portfolio of electrification solutions.
The company offers a range of hybrid and electrified technologies for use in heavy vehicles, aimed at the OEM market – including powered trailer options.
Hybrid technologies
ZF is investing in hybrid drivetrain technologies as a rapid solution to reduce commercial vehicle emissions. The brand’s latest variant of its TraXon transmission, the TraXon 2 Hybrid, is a new concept that effectively enables OEMs to incorporate hybrid technology into their existing design platforms with reduced effort and complexity.
The system facilitates clean, safe and efficient mobility, and ZF says it brings total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits too.
Hybrid technologies offer significant emissions reduction potential while retaining many of the advantages in terms of range and refilling capabilities.
Zero emissions technologies
ZF’s family of next-generation electric drives provides all the elements manufacturers need to electrify their vehicles.
The brand’s E-Mobility Kit employs a unique modular approach, integrating components to create a compact, lightweight, and powerful system.
ZF’s in-house development of key components, including inverters, e-motors, transmissions, e-actuators, and electronic control units including software, allows them to tailor e-drive solutions to the unique specifications of OEM customers across various vehicle applications.
Catering to a wide range of customer requirements, ZF’s kit includes a central drive platform – the CeTrax 2 dual and CeTrax 2 – which can slot into the same space as a conventional transmission, as well as an axle drive platform – the AxTrax 2 dual and AxTrax 2 – which sits closer to the wheels, providing greater design flexibility.
OEMs have the flexibility to use complete e-drive systems from ZF or integrate individual components, software, or subsystems.
This versatility facilitates a smooth transition to electric mobility, offering electric drive solutions that can either be easily integrated into existing vehicle platforms or provide additional design flexibility to meet various applications.
Electrified Trailers
The trailer will play an increasingly significant role in helping to decarbonise road freight transport, whether hauled by an ICE or electric truck.
ZF’s electric trailer concept, which integrates its in-house developed AxTrax 2 e-Axle together with its trailer EBS and battery system box into a trailer, effectively converts an ICE powered truck into a hybrid.
In the case of an electric vehicle, the electric trailer concept effectively extends the vehicle’s range.
When pulled by an ICE, the technology can help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 16 percent through recuperation, while up to 40 percent with the plug-in-hybrid solution, the company claims.
The concept is possible thanks to the development of ZF’s latest electrified traction axle, the AxTrax 2, which was originally designed for trucks, buses, and coaches.
eWorX
ZF also excels in the domain of electrified power-take off solutions (ePTO), with its eWorX system that integrates components including a 50-kW e-motor, inverter and electronic control unit with application-specific software.
The eWorX system can power a range of equipment including hook lifters, skip loaders, or loading cranes installed on electric commercial vehicles.
Developed in close collaboration with OEMs and body manufacturers, the concept is proving successful and ZF says demand for eWorX products is expected to double over the next few years.
ZF’s latest version of eWorX is integrated into the frame of the truck and uses the truck’s cooling system, while also reducing installation space.
Additionally, ZF will soon introduce a next generation to the ZF eWorX family with a 70 kW, 800V, cyber security capable drive for electric power take-off solutions as well as a multifunctional, bidirectional I/O device to power applications on electrified commercial vehicles.
