ZF is known in Euriope and across Asia as a major player in the automotive transmission and componentry realm, but the German giant is not a major player in the USA, that was until now.
ZF hasn’t had a large presence in the North American commercial vehicle market, but we can expect that to change as the German company’s recent acquisition of Wabco gives it a foot print on the Western side of the Atlantic.
The next 12 months will bring a new “game-changing” automatic transmission, plus an electro-hydraulic ReAx power steering with lane-keeping assist that ZF is keen to market in the giant US market.
The acquisition of Wabco will also help ZF to accelerate technologies that will make electric and autonomous trucks a reality down the road.
“Next-generation mobility for commercial vehicles, that’s the ZF slogan,” Andreas Moser, head of ZF’s commercial vehicle technology division said recently.
“It’s not just a slogan,” Moser said.
The company sees itself as shaping the future in four technology domains including vehicle motion control, integrated safety, automated driving, and electric mobility.
Mark Mohr, responsible for developing driver assist systems in the commercial vehicle sector, said ZF wants to use these technologies to solve three key challenges for the commercial vehicle industry: efficiency, safety, and digitization.
On the efficiency side, he noted ZF’s traditional driveline business.
As a result ZF plans to launch its PowerLine 8-speed automatic transmission with a major North American OEM in early 2021.
It can offer up to 30 per cent faster acceleration, up to 10 per cent better fuel efficiency, up to 45 per cent weight reduction, and up to 30 per cent less noise than a manual transmission, according to the company.
It also offers improvements over an automated manual, said Mohr, who called it “a game-changer.”
The transmissions initially will be imported from Germany, but in 2023 a “dramatic high increase in volumes” will mean ramping up production in
It also offers improvements over an automated manual, said Mohr, who called it “a game-changer.”
The transmissions initially will be imported from Germany, but in 2023 a “dramatic high increase in volumes” will mean ramping up production in North America.
Looking ahead for efficiency, there’s a full portfolio of electrification. ZF’s CeTrax, for instance, is an electric system for medium-duty commercial vehicles and buses. This is an electric central drive that can be integrated simply into vehicle designs with a conventional driveline layout. It looks a bit like a transmission, but it’s an electric motor, using standard axles with common ratios.
“We have combined our in-house electric driveline know-how with our transmission know-how and combined elements …. to get a perfect adaption for electric drive for these applications,” Mohr said.
In both efficiency and safety, ZF’s “Vision Zero” goal of mobility with zero accidents and zero emissions will only be improved by the Wabco acquisition from what it’s already achieved as an independent company.
And digitization can help fleets be more efficient and safer as well as optimizing processes. That part of Wabco is very strong on the trailer side, Mohr said, as well as some on the truck side, “so it’s really a perfect fit.”
