The ZF electrified trailer solution is made possible by integrating ZF’s AxTrax 2 electric axle with a modular battery system box for recuperation and traction support. Thanks to its ability to recuperate energy from braking, the system can effectively convert a heavy-duty diesel truck into a hybrid vehicle, generating up to 16 percent fuel and CO2 savings, while the optional plug-in variant can save up to 40 percent. The trailer also provides benefits for zero-emissions electrified heavy trucks by extending their range.
ZF’s electrified trailer concept is gaining traction as interest from the industry grows. Bringing the benefits of electrified trailers to fleet operators took a step closer as ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division announced that it will cooperate with BPW to offer a fully integrated running gear system for trailer builders including ZF’s AxTrax 2 electric axle. Kässbohrer and Krone, two leading trailer manufacturers will also start to implement ZF´s pioneering electrification system into their platforms.
“Electrification for trailers is an innovative solution to decarbonise road freight transport in the very near future,” said Dr. Bernd Meurer, responsible for the electric trailer program at ZF. “Instead of solely being pulled by the truck, the new approach provides additional traction while generating fuel savings, reducing CO2 emissions and improving sustainability.
“The fact that industry leaders are embracing our system demonstrates that we have taken the right concept approach in developing a lightweight and modular system that can be adapted to suit the diverse requirements and various applications of manufacturers and fleet operators.”
İffet Türken, Kässbohrer Board Member said: “Together to the next 125 years”, we highlight the importance of a wide ecosystem of innovation and partnerships to advance the trailer industry towards sustainability. We support our industry with longer and heavier vehicles, our award winning intermodal product range and our already tested electrified reefers. We are committed to invest our proven innovation capability, engineering competence to advance the technical integration challenges of the new system safely and efficiently. We look forward to our cooperation with ZF and all our partners furthering electrification application to include all sectors of transport business.”
The many advantages of the ZF electrified trailer technology
With this announcement, customers will be able to draw on ZF’s leading expertise in combining brake control and electrification systems with innovative technologies, such as the AxTrax 2 electrified axle system which enables recuperation and traction support to deliver up to 210 kW continuous power and 26,000 Nm of peak output of seamless torque.
The ZF system has been designed as a highly integrated solution enabling manufacturers to combine electrified technologies into their own trailer platforms more easily. The system takes advantage of braking energy recuperation to recharge the batteries to generate 16 percent fuel and CO2 savings, while the plug-in hybrid version can achieve 40 percent when combined with an ICE-powered truck.
