From April 23 to May 2, ZF is presenting its innovative technologies and products for the passenger car and commercial vehicle industry at the international motor show Auto Shanghai. As one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers, the technology company ZF continuously invests in the growth market China and the Asia-Pacific region and benefits from the growth of Chinese carmakers.
“ZF has continuously invested in innovative technologies for the Chinese market in recent years,” said ZF CEO Dr. Holger Klein. ”These include our Chassis 2.0 with by-wire technologies and the new electric range extender system. We have also consistently optimized our production and development processes to the requirements of our Chinese customers and thus literally fulfill ‘China Speed’.”
The connected chassis concept: Chassis 2.0
The three megatrends of electrification, software-defined vehicles and autonomous driving are creating new opportunities and challenges – especially for chassis technology. In the future, the chassis must be able to connect with its architecture and its environment. ZF’s answer is the Chassis 2.0 concept.
In Chassis 2.0, ZF’s chassis-specific cubiX software ensures that all actuators, such as steering, brakes and dampers, work together perfectly in every driving situation. CubiX effectively networks the actuators with minimal latency, orchestrating all the actuators on the chassis side in parallel.
By-wire technologies play a key role in Chassis 2.0: As the world’s largest supplier of chassis technology, ZF offers, among other things, a comprehensive portfolio of purely electronically controlled steering and braking systems as well as controlled damping systems – and has already secured significant market share in the growing field of by-wire chassis systems. For example, ZF is equipping the ET9 electric flagship of the Chinese manufacturer NIO with the latest generation of its steer-by-wire system. At the beginning of the year, the technology group also announced a major order in the field of brake-by-wire systems and will supply the electromechanical braking technology (EMB) to a leading global vehicle manufacturer for almost five million vehicles.
In Chassis 2.0, an active chassis technology prevents pitching and rolling of the vehicle during steering, acceleration and braking maneuvers. If automated and autonomous driving continues to increase in practice, this suspension feature will become increasingly valuable for all vehicle occupants. The sMOTION active suspension system is based on the well-known ZF CDC (Continuous Damping Control) adaptive damping system with two external valves that independently control the damper’s compression and rebound. The new Porsche Panamera and Taycan models already use parts of ZF’s sMOTION active suspension system to implement the Porsche “Active Ride” air suspension – namely the damper and valve technology of the technology company. sMOTION is also attracting a great deal of interest from Chinese customers.
Start of production for new range extender system
ZF has many years of experience in the volume production of plug-in hybrid systems, purely electric drives, and components. At the Auto Shanghai, ZF is presenting its newly developed electric range extender system. It realizes a generator and driving mode with a single electric drive system and will go into production in the first half of next year. The system has several unique selling points: Firstly, it is suitable for extended-range all-wheel drive without the need for a second drive system. This significantly reduces costs. Secondly, it is highly compact and easy to integrate into the engine compartment. Thirdly, the electric motor and combustion engine can each be operated with high efficiency for power generation or drive.
Continuous innovation for commercial vehicles
In the field of commercial vehicle technology, ZF is presenting its integrated electric axle system AxTrax 2 and the TraXon 2 Hybrid transmission at Auto Shanghai to promote the decarbonization of commercial vehicles. AxTrax 2 features a unique modular design that integrates various driveline components into a compact, lightweight, and high-performance system. TraXon 2 Hybrid can significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO? emissions, alleviate users’ range anxiety and optimize total cost of ownership. In addition, ZF presented the new generation of the OnGuardMAX driver assistance system, the mBSP XBS modular braking system platform and the new EPS electric power steering system for commercial vehicles, which further improve vehicle safety, comfort and efficiency.
Commitment to the strategic market of China
“We have been rooted in China for more than 40 years, now have more than 50 manufacturing locations and five research and development centers,” said Renee Wang, President ZF China. ”And we have invested billions of euros in China over the last five years. Not only have we localized R&D and started volume production of globally advanced technologies, but we have also brought innovative technologies from China to the global market.”
In recent years, ZF has demonstrated resilience and flexibility in the face of a complex and changing market, responding quickly to customer needs and market changes. In the passenger car sector, ZF has expanded its business relationships with Chinese vehicle manufacturers, so that the share of new orders is increasing year on year. In commercial vehicle and industrial technology, most new orders currently come from Chinese customers.
SOURCE: ZF
