Technology company ZF has announced that it has received substantial orders for its latest technologies in just six months after the launch of its new Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division, showing that customers are reacting positively to the new integrated portfolio.
Further advancing its 'Next Generation Mobility' strategy, the company is also leveraging the benefits of its unique ability to transfer technologies and competencies across vehicle segments in areas such as automation and electric drivetrains.
New Electric Steer-by-Wire System
Demonstrating its first passenger car steer-by-wire system, the system supplier has propelled its comprehensive ‘by-wire’ technology portfolio to the forefront of the industry. During an annual global technology event, the company presented its advanced steer-by-wire technology for the front axle.
Steer-by-wire technology transmits driver commands to the steering system entirely through electrical signals, removing the mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front axle. Going forward, by-wire technology is expected to play an increasingly pivotal role in all aspects of vehicle motion control - longitudinally, transversely and vertically.
Wolf-Henning Scheider, CEO, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, said, “Our divisions work together in close partnership optimising the benefits of mutual technology transfer. ZF’s new steer-by-wire technology is an important precondition for advanced automation in passenger cars and, true to our ‘develop once, deploy anywhere’ guiding philosophy, will also be applied to commercial vehicle automation.”
Future-proofing the technology, the new generation software supporting the by-wire actuators can be updated over-the-air at any time. ZF has already secured several major customer orders for its new steer-by-wire system.
NextGen eMobility For CVs
Performing its world premiere, CeTrax 2 is ZF’s integrated, modular electric driveline for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The new system combines a favourable power-to-weight ratio and a highly integrated, compact design. This enables a high, sustained output of 360 kW and improved efficiency through powershift gear changes. It also features high-end technologies, including a hairpin design for the stator, an innovative cooling system and a silicon carbide-based inverter, adapted from ZF’s passenger car expertise. Series production with a global vehicle manufacturer will start next year.
Equipping innovation trucks and semi-trailers with a suite of its latest safety and efficiency technologies, the company is also demonstrating how its complete vehicle approach represents a significant step towards the industry aim of ‘zero accidents’ and next-level efficiency.
ZF SCALAR
Demonstrating the success of its software development, the company is presenting the world premiere of SCALAR, a new digital solutions platform for commercial vehicle fleets that enables efficient Transport-as-a-Service (TaaS). It is a fully automated, AI-based planning, routing and dispatching solution.
ZF SCALAR combines and connects technologies on board commercial vehicles and third-party systems with artificial intelligence. According to the company, the platform will help fleet operators increase operational efficiency, sustainability, planning reliability, and cargo and passenger safety. It anticipates that SCALAR will become an indispensable partner for the freight and passenger transportation industry.
End-to-End Automated Solutions
ZF will also unveil how it is leveraging its Orchestration solution and its next-generation ADOPT 2.0 (Autonomous Driving Open Platform Technology) automated chassis control solution combined with its expertise to provide full end-to-end yard automation solutions. ADOPT 2.0 focuses on low-speed yard automation applications up to 20 km/h. In addition, the company will also showcase ADOPT 3.0, which enables hub-to-hub highway applications at speeds up to 80 km/h.
“ZF’s latest annual global technology showcase once again demonstrates how well positioned ZF is to meet challenges and maximise opportunities for the future. By increasing diversification, entering new markets, achieving greater technology penetration and pursuing our proven sustainability strategy, significant progress has been achieved by ZF at the very forefront of e-mobility, automation and connected, software-defined vehicles,” added Scheider.