ZF Group is a global technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technologies. ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division produces a full range of components and systems for trucks, buses and coaches. As a tier-one supplier with an industry-leading product portfolio, ZF CVS helps to shape the future of commercial transportation ecosystems by serving the full CV industry value chain. As the automotive industry progresses towards an increasingly automated, connected and electrified future, ZF CVS integrates and supplies components and advanced control systems that help make commercial vehicles and vehicle fleets operate more safely and sustainably.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
ZF CVS delivers innovation in commercial vehicle technologies in a number of ways. One key area is electric mobility, where ZF CVS has become a global leader in electric driveline technologies. E-mobility will transform the industry and ZF expects production of its electric drive systems for commercial vehicles to double over the next 12 months. In September 2024, the division announced confirmed orders worth €5 billion, underlining ZF’s strong market position – especially in Europe. This includes our recently announced collaboration with Ford Trucks, which ZF will supply its electrification technologies, including an electric central drive, the CeTrax 2 dual.
What’s the news about new products/services?
ZF CVS underscored its strength as a pacesetter of innovation with the development of a new hybrid transmission for commercial vehicles. This advancement supports the transition to decarbonization by serving as a bridging technology towards zero-emissions mobility. Forming part of the industry-leading TraXon family, the TraXon 2 Hybrid will enable commercial vehicle operators to significantly reduce carbon emissions while still maintaining the range and capability advantages of a combustion engine. With its extensive experience in developing hybrid technologies for passenger cars, ZF effectively leveraged its extensive R&D capabilities to develop a hybrid transmission solution that provides manufacturers another path towards reducing emissions. ZF is already collaborating with the Chinese manufacturer Foton to introduce this new transmission to the Chinese market.
What are the ranges of products/services?
As a leading supplier to the commercial vehicle industry, ZF offers a broad product portfolio for manufacturers and fleet operators. With innovations like the cubiX vehicle motion control system and next-generation electric drives, ZF CVS provides a full range of solutions for smarter, safer and more sustainable vehicles. ZF’s range of electric drivelines are enabling manufacturers to integrate zero-emission technologies into their vehicle platforms efficiently and cost-effectively. ZF’s open-technology approach, whereby its drivelines can be powered by both hydrogen fuel cell and battery, provides manufacturers with design flexibility, to create vehicle solutions that are best suited to their intended application. ZF is also introducing vehicle motion control technologies to CVs. Its cubiX system ensures vehicle stability, safety and performance by translating virtual driver instructions into real vehicle commands.
Advanced safety systems are another technology domain where ZF excels, offering a broad product portfolio and leveraging expertise from its passenger car divisions. This enables ZF to meet regional safety regulations and produce cutting-edge technologies efficiently.
ZF’s SCALAR digital fleet orchestration platform also optimizes fleet management with real-time, AI-based decision-making and performance insights for both human-driven and automated vehicles, boosting logistics productivity.
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
The commercial vehicle industry is experiencing a rapid transformation driven by several key trends. There is a significant push towards zero-emissions vehicles as the industry is committed to decarbonizing transportation, leading to significant investments in electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Digitalization and connectivity are also enhancing operational efficiency.
Through the integration of telematics and advanced data analytics, these technologies help monitor vehicle performance, which can even be carried out remotely, helping managers back at the depot or in the control room to optimize fleet operations. Furthermore, automated technologies such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), collision avoidance systems as well as automated driving capabilities are being integrated to improve safety and reduce accidents.
What can you tell us about market trends?
In terms of commercial vehicle innovation, ZF leads the way in developing technologies for zero emissions, smarter and safer vehicles. Our modular e-mobility platform allows manufacturers to customize e-drive systems for various vehicles, promoting rapid decarbonization. And true to its develop-once, deploy-everywhere approach, ZF has also developed a concept to electrify the trailer by putting an AxTrax 2 electric axle (together with a modular battery system and trailer electronic braking system) into a trailer. This concept, named TrailTrax, enables the trailer to recuperate energy and provide propulsion for the overall truck-trailer combination. In doing so, it effectively converts an ICE-powered truck into a hybrid, helping to reduce overall CO2 emissions by up to 16%. As a plug-in hybrid, it can achieve up to 40% emission reductions.
Safety is another important area of commercial vehicle innovation. Many of these systems form the stepping-stone technologies towards automated driving and ZF provides all the systems needed to comply with the GSR II requirements with its ZF GSR II ADAS Suite. Furthermore, the latest version of its advanced emergency braking system for the European market, OnGuardMAX, has also entered series production. The system can recognize and react to road obstacles, helping to improve safety.
What estimations do you have for 2024?
2024 is a year of realignment for ZF. It is investing billions of euros in research and development and in modern plants, worldwide. One of its greatest strengths is its flexibility. For more than 100 years, technology-openness has been hardwired into ZF’s DNA. Although the decarbonization of transportation is progressing more slowly than expected in both the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors, ZF’s open-drive approach, diverse product portfolio and flexible production facilities enable it to adapt quickly to market changes. Thanks to this approach, ZF is seeing positive results, with its next-generation drives entering series production with €5 billion worth of confirmed orders received by September 2024.