Suitable for light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles and trailers, the integrated, modular e-driveline systems enable quiet and emission-free operation.
Winfried Gründler, senior vice president of driveline systems with ZF’s commercial vehicle solutions division, said: “With our modular electric drive kit, ZF can provide customers with everything they need to electrify their commercial vehicles from last-mile delivery vehicles up to 44-tonne trucks. The kit consists of scalable axle and central drive systems. Like other ZF electric systems, they can be easily combined with different electrification technologies, such as batteries or fuel cells, for example. The kit is complemented by a wide range of eComponents that have been developed and produced in-house.
“Further extending ZF’s unrivalled ‘one-stop-shop’ for commercial vehicle electrification, ZF’s broad product portfolio, combined with extensive Group-wide expertise, enables the delivery of cost-efficient products that are designed to keep the total cost of ownership low.”
AxTrax 2 is said to maximise the available space for cargo or the passenger cabin as well as for batteries and enhances the manufacturer’s design flexibility for future vehicle concepts. The electric drives can be synchronised with key vehicle functions, such as braking and automated driving systems, to help enhance vehicle safety and efficiency. It also enables advanced digital and telematics systems to exchange information with the e-axle via CAN bus.
AxTrax 2 is offered in two variants. AxTrax 2 for commercial vehicles enables a continuous power of 210 kW. The AxTrax 2 dual variant, with two integrated e-motors, is ideal for heavy-duty applications and offers 380 kW continuous power.
Both models are designed to replace the engine, transmission, drive shaft and conventional axle to electrify a commercial vehicle. This line-up enables opportunities to reimagine commercial vehicle form, function, and architecture, enhancing aerodynamics, enabling automated driving or adding extra battery capacity.
Additionally, ZF can help customers to electrify all classes of commercial vehicle platforms, from existing to all-new vehicle platforms.
Used as an electric drive axle in semitrailers, AxTrax 2 can recover electrical energy when braking. The energy is temporarily stored in a battery and can be used by the electric axle to support the truck drive. Recuperating energy in this way also helps to reduce fuel or energy consumption as well as carbon emissions. At the same time, the safety of the truck-trailer combination is improved.