vision – THE ZF MAGAZINE 3/2018 3/2018 vision

Shaping SMART LOGISTICS

ZF Friedrichshafen AG THE ZF MAGAZINE AUTONOMOUS VAN FORMULA E EVERYWHERE

88038 Friedrichshafen – Germany Mastering the last mile with How ZF is bringing electric

zf.com vision innovative ZF technology drives to all vehicles 32 Contents CLEAN AIR AND EFFICIENCY GO XXL

08 Safe and pollution-free: that’s the promise heralding electrified autonomous commercial vehicles. ZF’s TIME FOR A REBOOT electromechanical steering system prototype makes this a reality. Freight transport is rapidly increasing worldwide. More and more freight and delivery vehicles are clogging up city streets. The logistics system 34 as we know it is threatening to collapse. Improved interconnectedness could be the answer to NEW HEIGHTS significantly improving efficiency. Major Chinese corporations are working intensely on the technologies of tomorrow, one of which 16 is artificial intelligence (AI). And ZF is right there alongside them. SATISFACTION INCLUDED – RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR 37 ZF HIGHLIGHT Logistics service providers deliver billions of SPEAKERS’ CORNER shipments annually. An autonomous concept vehicle developed by ZF is revolutionizing the “last mile” Norway has accumulated years of experience to the benefit of both drivers and customers. with electric vehicles on a grand scale. How does e-mobility work there, and what aspects could Innovatively we adopt in other countries? 20 AUTONOMOUS COST-CUTTING 38 ZF is using smart concepts to demonstrate how Lightweight MIRACULOUS logistics can be made safer and more cost-effective both on the road and at the depot. The key to it all is TRANSFORMATION autonomous driving features. Remanufacturing is a sustainable alternative to A KNEE AIRBAG IN A FABRIC HOUSING? INDUS- new production. Discover how ZF is giving products TRY EXPERTS SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE. BUT 24 a new lease on life as we take you on a tour of our THAT’S PRECISELY WHAT ZF WILL BE BRINGING Frýdlant location in the Czech Republic. TO VOLUME PRODUCTION IN 2019. A COMPANY FULL OF ENERGY

ZF supplies an incredibly diverse range of electric drive systems that power everything from bicycles The heavier a vehicle is, the higher its emissions under to heavy goods trains. This portfolio makes the combustion and the lower its range under electric power. technology company unique in the mobility sector CATEGORIES All the more reason to minimize the weight of individual components. ZF’s new knee airbag is much more than just a standard improvement in this respect. At just 700 grams, The ZF knee airbag is the lightest and 28 3 Editorial the module weighs some 30% less than comparable prod- smallest the industry has ever seen. ucts. So how did we do it? A world first: the airbag hous- THE DYNAMIC SEDAN 4 – 5 ZF Moment ing is made of fabric instead of metal. The concept can ZF’s new active damping system, sMOTION, takes 6 – 7 Facts and Figures be adapted to the needs of any market or vehicle model. driving comfort, dynamics and safety to a whole Yet another advantage is that it requires around 20% less 14 – 15 Did You Know? new level. That’s a huge plus when it comes to installation space. So it’s not just the lightest in the indus- highly automated driving. 44 – 46 In a Nutshell try, but also the most compact. In early 2019, a major European manufacturer will be starting volume production 46 Masthead of our fabric airbag module. 47 ZF Highlight Am I the only one who gets riled by double-parked delivery vehicles blocking the street and causing jams? Smart I see it all the time. And the couriers are just as stressed out. Time is short, and parking space is a rare commod- ity, so it’s no wonder they resign themselves to annoying other road users and just pulling up wherever they can. logistics is · · And last but not least, logistics companies themselves · are battling to solve this issue of the last mile. Looking 3 · · the way for parking spaces and constantly getting in and out of · the van slows down deliveries and consequently drives up costs. forward Fortunately, I can promise you that next-generation mobility will make this scenario a thing of the past. So what is ZF doing about it? We’re applying our unique for mobility system expertise to deliver high-precision smart logis- tics solutions so that, for example, a delivery vehicle can look for its own parking space, or can follow cou- riers as if on a virtual leash while they make deliveries on foot. It’s no coincidence that we’re making great strides in autonomous driving features specifically for commer- cial vehicles. My view is that we’ll see early adoption of these in manageable areas like depots or specially designated downtown zones. ZF IS WORKING RESOLUTELY TO ENSURE We’ll be exhibiting many more exciting innovations THAT ITS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS ARE FULLY at this year’s International Motor Show. But these are NETWORKED, AND TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE not just a vague promise: we’re already delivering IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY next-generation mobility products. Read on for a taste THROUGH DIGITALIZATION. of what is, and what’s to come!

Wolf-Henning Scheider Chief executive officer ZF Friedrichshafen AG · · · 5 · · ·

ZF MOMENT

Towboats and barges are a common sight on US inland waterways. According the American Waterways Operators industry association, 60 percent of US grain destined for export is transported this way. A typical "tow," which Heavyweights consists of 15 interconnected cargo barges, transports the same volume of cargo as 1,050 large semi-trailer trucks. Our photo shows the 23-meter long, 11-meter wide American Power on the Ohio River. Two 360°-steerable azimuth thrusters (series 5000) from ZF propel this American Commercial Barge Line tugboat, providing maximum maneuverability. Not only do thrusters boost safety on the winding river, their efficient design also ensures lower on the water emissions, providing the same thrust as conventional shaftlines, but with a smaller engine size. 04-05-18 20°C 2.5g 0 3

2022 2016 2000

CHINESE CONTAINER CHAMPION

With an annual throughput of 37 million standard 04-05-18 20-foot containers, Shanghai is the biggest container port in the world. Incidentally, six of 20°C the top ten largest container ports are in China. 302.5g

Logistics 2000 2016 2022 Right place,

PARCEL BOOM right time In 2016, Germany’s courier, express and parcel (CEP) services delivered around 3.16 billion shipments; · that’s over 10 million per delivery day. Volumes have · · doubled since 2000. The German Association for Mail BEHIND EVERY TIMELY DELIVERY OF GOODS LIES A 7 SOPHISTICATED SUPPLY CHAIN. READ ON FOR SOME INTERESTING and Express Logistics (BIEK) estimates that annual · · AND CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT LOGISTICS. volumes will reach approximately 4.15 billion by 2021. · ··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART

ASTRONOMICAL PRICES 04-05-18 20°C Supplying another celestial object is a very parti­cular THE SMART PORT 302.5g kind of logistical challenge. First, it requires enough fuel on board for the whole journey; and second, In one of the terminals at the Port of Melbourne, there’s no “roadside assistance” in space if something automated cranes unload freight and move 2000 2016 2022 breaks down. As you’d expect, the prices are equally containers without human intervention. Trucks astronomical: sending a kilo of freight to the moon are automatically identified and routed by the currently costs in the region of $41,000. logistics system. The system then issues loading and unloading orders to the cranes and container trucks. Cargo handling at the terminal is now six times faster than under the old system. LOSSES WITH A HEAVY PRICE 04-05-18 Around a third of all foodstuffs produced in the 04-05-18 world never actually reach consumers; they perish 20°C during storage, transport or processing. Modern 20°C technologies like condition monitoring are critical 302.5g 302.5g in reducing these losses, for example by promptly flagging up breaks in the cold chain. 2000 2016 2022 2000 2016 2022 Time for a reboot

· · · 9 · · · ··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART

FREIGHT TRANSPORT BY LAND, SEA AND AIR IS RAPIDLY INCREASING WORLDWIDE. MORE AND MORE GOODS VEHICLES ARE CLOGGING UP CITY STREETS. THE LOGISTICS SYSTEM AS WE KNOW IT IS THREATENING TO COLLAPSE. BUT EXPERTS ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT BETTER INTEGRATION COULD BE THE ANSWER TO IMPROVING EFFICIENCY SIGNIFICANTLY.

Text: Martin Westerhoff he roar of a Boeing 747 chain (the “first mile”), the transit cargo freighter briefly chain and the delivery chain (the shattered the surreal “last mile”). The Department of T silence that had reigned Industrial Engineering and Inno- over the ports of Los Angeles and vation Sciences at Eindhoven Uni- Long Beach for days. The pilots versity of Technology has defined were headed for Japan. Below the intricacy of this challenge in them, tens of thousands of sea no uncertain terms. According containers were stacking up on to the Dutch researchers, smart the ground. And the plane’s logistics implies synchronizing four cargo? Ton upon ton of frozen domains: a logistics system only French fries. works efficiently if scheduling, ICT, personnel and legislation are well Seriously? Flying fries to Japan? aligned. It may sound downright unbeliev­able, but in December 2014 it became INTO THE UNKNOWN a very costly reality for one US fast food chain. At the time, the two This system can very easily get West Coast ports were notoriously out of step, requiring rapid inter- overburdened. The dockworkers vention. A case in point is the sce- went on strike, leaving restaurant nario playing out since late May managers to deal with the chaos 2018 in Hamburg, the first German caused by a serious shortage of city to ban non-Euro 6 diesel vehi- the one thing a hamburger is simply Logistics centers and warehouses have a long way to go in cles from two of its streets. “Bans not complete without. It was not just terms of efficiency. Intelligent solutions are the answer. STREETS IN inevitably drive change. This

the wrath of Japanese customers – shows just what a hot topic the · · who were having their fries rationed – DIRE STRAITS last mile is,” warned Professor Uwe · that was at stake. Sales had already Clausen of the Fraunhofer Institute 11 · · dropped by 21 percent, and the strike According to an OECD survey, international road freight for Material Flow and Logistics · threatened a further slump as well as transportation grew by 96.12 percent between 2001 and (IML), speaking at the first courier, considerable reputational damage for 2015. Across the 47 countries in the sample, haulage express and parcel services indus-

··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART the fast-food chain with its 3.000-plus capacity rose from roughly 7 trillion ton-kilometers (tkm) try conference (CEP), which was restaurants in Japan. Ultimately, over to over 14 trillion. A ton-kilometer is a unit of measurement staged last year by German pub- 1,000 tons of “flying fries” were sent obtained by multiplying the volume transported by the lisher EuroTransportMedia (ETM) to the Land of the Rising Sun as distance traveled to deliver it. with ZF’s support. a result of the strike. system and traffic as a whole can 2001 UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: IMPROVING only work efficiently if it’s suffi­ THE LAST MILE LOGISTICAL EFFICIENCY ciently well connected,” says THROUGH BETTER Majid Sarvi, a professor of trans- A host of current logistics CONNECTIVITY port engineering at Melbourne developments and innovations University. are focused on the last mile along 7.165 TRILLION TKM This anecdote shows what with upstream transfer from the a tightly woven web global trade Boosting communication transit chain – so not just on ship- really is, and the far-reaching between the means of transpor- ping, but also on depots and ware- consequences of an interruption, tation, the goods and the infra- houses. The reasons are twofold. let alone a break, in the logistics structure is among the core tasks 2015 First, the rapidly accelerating pace chain. According to forecasts by of a new discipline dubbed “smart of the mail-order business; and the EU Commission, road, rail and logistics.” Smart logistics aims to second, the ongoing trend toward maritime freight traffic is set to help meet the challenges posed global urbanization. The net result increase by 25 percent between by a growing number of unknowns is spiraling demand for deliveries to 2010 and 2030. In light of this, and an increasingly complex trans- city-dwellers. According to United logistics specialists are calling portation chain. The transportation Nations (UN) estimates, 55 per- for urgent action. “The logistics chain is made up of the collection 14.050 TRILLION TKM cent of the world’s 7.62 billion inhabitants are urbanites today; by 2050, that proportion will have “A networked risen to 68 percent. According to a UN report pub- traffic system is lished in May, the pace of urbaniza- tion is particularly fast in develop- ing and emerging countries. The essential for more latest figures from China’s National Office for Statistics reveal that 58.52 percent of the nation lives efficient logistics.” in urban areas. Professor George Q. Huang, chair of industrial and MAJID SARVI manufacturing systems engineering Professor of transport engineering, Melbourne University at Hong Kong University, outlines the situation in the vast economic area that takes in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan: “E-commerce in Greater China has exploded in the An everyday scenario in downtown areas across the globe: delivery vehicles obstructing traffic. last few years, which means that delivery logistics are increasingly becoming a bottleneck.”

Indeed, more and more ware- Logistics Parks.” These solutions TESTING TOMORROW’S · · houses on various scales are spring- are intended to synchronize the TRAFFIC TODAY · ing up across mainland China to complex processes involved 13 · · accommodate online orders. “How- and to coordinate them more Melbourne University is running · ever, they’re still using old-school effectively. Huang also predicts trials in an inner city area of six Long-haul transport too will benefit logistics systems that don’t stand up a paradigm shift in automation square kilometers to examine how

··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART from networked logistics concepts. to present and future requirements,” with autonomous robotics, but its this kind of smart transportation says Huang. For example, the time progress is currently hampered system might work. With the help from receiving an incoming order to by the excessive amortization of over 40 partners including indus- handing over the package to a logis- periods involved. trialists, policymakers and research- tics company is too long. Space uti- ers, university engineers are devel- lization in these logistics parks also Professor Majid Sarvi is equally oping and testing communication leaves much to be desired. convinced that the logistics sector systems for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), cannot solve the last-mile issue Vehicle-to-vulnerable-road-users­ PROCESS SYNCHRONIZATION alone. Rather, it’s about looking (V2P) and vehicle-to-infra­structure A ND IMPROV ED at traffic as a whole. “Transporta- (V2I) use. Sensors record the flow COORDINATION tion is a multimodal system made of motor vehicles, cyclists, pedes- up of all means of transport, plus trians and public transportation in “But one of the most critical the infrastructure,” says Sarvi. real time. This connected system factors is a lack of synchronization Efficiency will only improve if we is called the Australian Integrated between the three stages – goods can network the entire system so Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES). manufacturer to logistics park, as to coordinate and optimize it. order compilation at the park, “The same applies to autonomous “A productive transport system is and customer delivery,” Huang cars: they only deliver advantages essential not just for urban quality of laments. The institute he heads if they’re linked with a central data life, but also for an economy to com- up is currently working on cloud- platform that monitors the whole pete globally,” Sarvi reiterates. He based solutions for a project transport business – including sums it up perfectly, and that’s why dubbed “iPark: Core Technolo- traffic lights and pedestrians,” smart logistics solutions are such a gies of Intelligent Ecommerce he explains. high priority for tomorrow’s society. The steam engine, invented by James Watt in 1769, and the development of the railroads took the transport of goods to a whole new level. The turn of the nineteenth century heralded the advent of 1830 the steam locomotive, and 1830 saw the inaugura- tion of the first rail route for freight – the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. From then on, the use of freight cars has risen steadily, and benchmarks such as the 1,435 millimeter standard gage became the norm.

In 1907, with $100 of seed capital and two bicy- cles, Seattle-based US entrepreneur James E. Casey founded the world’s first parcel delivery service – the American Messenger Company, which would later become the United Parcel Service (UPS). Today, UPS did you know? 1907 has a fleet of 237 aircraft and 108,210 delivery cars, vans, haulers and motorcycles dedicated to deliver- ing packages. Over 8,100 of its vehicles are powered by alternative fuels and advanced technologies.

In the early 1950s, Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno was tasked with boosting the car company’s Milestones productivity. While visiting a supermarket in the US, he had a eureka moment. Today we call

it the “just-in-time” concept. Ohno realized that · · people only purchased what they needed then · 1953 and there, and that in principle a supermarket 15 · · in modern was simply a well-run warehouse. He saw that · if incoming goods matched outgoing goods as accurately as possible, no long-term storage

··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART space was required. logistics On April 26, 1956, Malcom McLean launched the world’s first container ship – the Ideal X. Prior to this, he had grown the McLean Trucking Company into the second-largest freight forwarder in the US in a just GLOBAL TRADE AS WE KNOW IT TODAY WOULD BE UNTHINKABLE few short years. He then sold 75 percent of the com- WITHOUT CERTAIN GROUNDBREAKING LOGISTICS INVENTIONS. 1956 pany and invested in ships. After a few modifications, HERE ARE SOME OF THOSE SEMINAL MOMENTS. McLean equipped the Ideal X with 58 steel boxes that were built in-house and tailor-made to fit the chassis of his trucks. Containerization was born, and has since become the world’s leading method of freight transportation. Then came an invention that revolu- tionized logistics: the barcode. At the time, the indus- try paid it scant attention.

But many subsequent innovations, such as auto- matic tracking or modern warehousing, would have been inconceivable without it. Americans Norman 1974 Joseph Woodland, George Laurer and Bernard Silver are credited as its inventors. Incidentally, the very first barcoded product, scanned on June 26, 1974 by a cashier in Ohio, was a 10-pack of gum. · · · 17 · · · ··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART

If necessary, the van drives on autonomously while the courier makes the delivery. Satisfaction nline retail is so practical. you may find your package sitting One click and your goods on your doorstep, where anyone are on their way to your could simply walk away with it. O door. At least that’s the However, it’s not just those await- included – right theory. But in practice, the hassle ing delivery who are feeling hassled. often starts as soon as you get your In downtown areas with a lack of order confirmation: the delivery parking space, delivery trucks block- deadline is etched in stone. The ing the road are a common sight. to your door delivery window you’re given forces According to a study by auditing you to take the day off or work from and consulting firm PwC, goods home. And far too often you still traffic is responsible for 80 percent LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDERS DELIVER BILLIONS OF SHIPMENTS A YEAR. A NEW find a card in your mailbox telling of rush-hour jams in the city. The ZF CONCEPT VEHICLE HERALDS A BETTER WAY TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE you the package is waiting for study’s authors also found that one FINAL DELIVERY STAGE, KNOWN AS THE “LAST MILE.” collection at a package shop or has in three Germans is unhappy with Text: Kathrin Wildemann been left with a neighbor. Equally, their package deliveries. You want to see the ZF Innovation Van A VISION OF in action? Just scan the QR code and enjoy the video. THE FUTURE FOR COURIERS 3

Meanwhile, couriers are under TAKING THE STRAIN extreme time pressure, often hav- OFF DRIVERS ing to deal with 200 consignments a day. On average, they have barely What’s more, customers can three minutes to get to the next use an app to track where their customer’s address, park, find the package is at any time as well as right front door and hand over the to enter or change their preferred package. And it’s even more irritat- delivery time and location at short ing if the recipient is out and they notice. The system then calculates have to try again later. ZF has the a new route in real time. Obviously, technology to make life easier for it takes account of the current traf- both parties: a driverless van with fic situation and predicts the deliv- an intelligent delivery system that ery window reliably. All of this data networks the package, the courier converges in the ZF cloud, which 2 and the recipient. in turn sends it to couriers via data glasses, allowing them to prepare 1 The ZF Innovation Van finds the en route for the next delivery while · · most efficient delivery sequence the smart van does the driving. · at any given time, using a cloud- 19 · · based support system that stores The vehicle’s camera, radar and · relevant data for each consign- LIDAR systems map its surroundings

ment, such as delivery location and in the form of a data cluster, and 1 2 3

··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART preferred timeslot. “The package the AI-capable ZF ProAI central The van stops in a no-parking zone. The While the courier is on the way to the The data glasses relay the location to practically finds its own way there,” computer converts this to instructions courier hops out with the consignment. customer’s door, the van slips back into the courier, who gets back in where the Georg Mihatsch, the project man- for the chassis, steering system and the flow of traffic and looks for a suitable van is parked. ager who oversaw development of drive actuators. As a result, the van place to stop. the ZF Innovation Van, explains. steers itself safely and independently

While the courier delivers the package, the van drives on autonomously and finds itself a parking spot.

through even the most labyrinthine turn receive their goods right on city traffic. But what about the time. It goes without saying that blocked streets? We thought of as a technology company work- that too. So if there’s no parking ing to shape the future of mobility, space at the delivery address, the ZF always factors in environmen- Innovation Van drops off the driver tal impact. Courtesy of a central and looks for a suitable place to electric axle drive, the ZF Innova- stop. This means that couriers tion Van is not only pollution-free, can focus on their job – delivering but also quiet and therefore packages to customers, who in resident-friendly. here was a time when truck drivers were regarded as the last of the adventurers. TBut the freedom of the open highway has long since given way to a complex agenda. As they go about their daily routine, today’s truckers Autonomous have to reconcile the requirements of their forwarding companies and its customers, of legislators and of other road users. It’s all about transporting wares quickly, safely and as economi- cost-cutting cally as possible. THE MODERN-DAY CONVOY

Proper organization is a big help here. The result is platooning, where several trucks travel one behind the other with a minimal clearance of up · to eight meters in between trucks. · · To prevent this from affecting road 21 safety, the vehicles are networked. · · All but the first are automated. The · entire platoon brakes as soon as the driver of the lead truck steps on the ··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART brake. Each truck drives in the slip- stream of the one in front, saving up to 15 percent fuel compared to each one traveling on its own. The drivers of the trucks at the rear have no need to keep their eyes glued to the road. They just have to be able to take the wheel when the systems are switched off.

ZF IS USING NEW CONCEPTS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW TO MAKE LOGISTICS Martin Mayer, global key SAFER AND MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, BOTH ON THE ROAD AND AT THE DEPOT. account manager for commercial THE KEY TO IT ALL IS AUTONOMOUS DRIVING FEATURES. vehicle ADAS at ZF, works with development to advance the tech- nology that makes platooning pos- Text: Andreas Neemann sible. “The system is based on our sensors and control electronics, which enable the truck's automated driving capabilities,” he explains.

The systems-integration capable ReAX truck steering system and the TraXon automatic transmission system receive steering and accel- eration commands direct from the control electronics. MARK MOHR MARK The ZF Pro AI is the command

Head of ADAS Project Center The ZF Innovation Truck: drivers could park this hybrid truck on arrival at the box in charge of it all. This unit is depot and take a break while automation takes care of the shunting. so powerful that it evaluates the enormous amounts of information coming from the sensors in a fraction of a second and converts it to commands using intelligent ZF’s approach is to make depot management system has the algorithms. ZF is currently involved processes easier, safer and more potential to make today’s standard in a variety of platooning projects reliable through autonomous freight documentation obsolete. the logistics chain.” with truck manufacturers. driving, which in turn would also Take a look behind the gates make them more cost-effective. The ZF Innovation Truck can NEW FREEDOMS – of the depot of the future – ZF is demonstrating this using a carry out lots of tasks without a

“Our smart, networked THE AUTONOMOUS DEPOT simply scan the QR code and coherent concept centering on ZF’s driver. It finds its own way to its watch the video. Innovation Truck, with our Terminal target position at the depot, puts · · Once the truck drivers reach Yard Tractor as a shunter. “Our down its loaded exchangeable · their destination, there’s more work concept incorporates the logistics container and picks up another con- 23 · · to do: they have to hand over freight infrastructure of the forwarding tainer. Even experienced truckers · innovation vehicles optimize vehiclesinnovation optimize documents at the incoming goods agent. So we have a large part of need extensive practice and abso- department, park and wait. Break the logistics chain in the frame,” lute concentration to inch the

··· LOGISTICS ··· SMART time? Forget it. At any moment they says Mark Mohr, head of ZF’s vehicle backwards into position may have to get back in the truck, commercial vehicle ADAS project under the container. More often maneuver it to the loading ramp and center. than not, property gets damaged. decouple the trailer for unloading. But the ZF Innovation Truck con- It's an intricate maneuver that Smart tags can be attached to sistently carries out this maneuver requires the utmost concentration. the cargo containers while they quickly, accurately and as safely After a long haul, no breaks and are on the truck. These provide as possible. The shunting is done yet more taxing maneuvers, drivers digital information, for example by another ZF innovation vehicle, are often completely exhausted. on inventory, and also whether the Terminal Yard Tractor. It picks Last year in Germany alone, there the cargo has been damaged en up the trailer and moves it reliably were 16,500 notifiable commercial route by issues such as heavy from place to place. And it can vehicle work accidents that did not vibrations or a break in the cold work all day, every day – even 24/7 occur on the road, with 28 of them Networked into the chain. Transmitting the smart if necessary – without any sign of ending with fatalities. slipstream: platooned trucks. tag data directly to the materials fatigue.

Stress, fatigue and distraction don’t factor into it: the Terminal Yard Tractor shunts autonomously, safely and precisely. o more panting and wheezing your way uphill, and no more hot and sticky morning commutes – pedelecs have arrived! In 2017, N almost one in four new bicycles sold in A company Germany had an auxiliary electric motor. And thanks to ZF, sales are set to go on rising. The Group recently became one of three partners in the newly founded Sachs Micro Mobility Solutions GmbH. The kickoff for this joint venture is the production launch of drive and full of energy brake systems for pedelecs and e-bikes. ELECTRONICS FOR PRIVATE TRANSPORT

Hybrid passenger cars combine a combustion engine with an electric motor. The hybrid module used in ZF‘s 8-speed 8P automatic transmission supports a host of hybrid applications that make it the ideal solution. The mild version delivers up to 20 kW of extra The 8P hybrid drive combines combustion electric power. That‘s not enough for purely electric power with electric driving. driving, so we designed a plug-in hybrid version of the 8P that makes it feasible. Its electric module boasts a peak output of 90 kW and maximum torque of 250 Nm. This boost in speed makes zero-emission driving at up to 120 km/h possible over a good 50 km range,

depending on the onboard battery. ZF‘s 7-speed dual · · clutch transmission was designed with a focus on · combustion. But its 8-speed successor, co-developed 25 · · with Porsche as a 100 kW hybrid drive right from the · outset, is the opposite – a sure sign that electrically­ assisted mobility is becoming the norm. A variant with- out an electric drive module is based on it.

ZF is also an expert in axle-based passenger car electrification. Our mSTARS (modular Semi-Trailing Arm Rear Suspension) axle system is even suitable as a replacement for conventional rear axles in ZF HOLDS A UNIQUE POSITION existing vehicle platforms and is also equipped for IN THE MOBILITY SECTOR the ZF eVD (Electric Vehicle Drive) axle drive mod- IN THAT WE SUPPLY AN ule. With a peak output of 150 kW, this module lays An electric drive integrated into ZF’s versatile INCREDIBLY DIVERSE RANGE OF the foundations for all-electric compact cars. Com- mSTARS rear axle system. ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEMS THAT bined with a front-axle ICE drive, our electric axle POWER EVERYTHING FROM drive transforms vehicles into axle-hybrids and 4x4s. BICYCLES TO TRUCK TRAILERS. In our recently unveiled concept vehicle equipped

Text: Achim Neuwirth

ZF cares about sustainable power generation too, with currently 55,000 wind turbine gearboxes worldwide. “The driveline electrification can no

with eAMT (electrified Automated Manual Transmis- longer be contained. sion) it also compensates for the momentary loss of propulsion when the automated transmission shifts, To this end, we providing continuous thrust. develop and deliver (ALMOST) UNLIMITED E-MOBILITY core components

Our electric axle drive is also used as the sole drive TraXon, our automatic transmission for heavy trucks as well as entire for minibuses. For example, it provides the acceleration and buses, is also suitable for commercial vehicle for the e.GO Mover people and cargo mover, which is hybridization. It‘s powerful enough to move a 40-ton systems for all Thousands of ZF AxTrax AVEs with electric designed for automated driving. e.GO Moove GmbH truck at the depot solely with electric drive. Equally, portal axles are already in operation on the starts volume production of the vehicle in 2019. e.GO industrial trucks such as forklifts can be powered by ZF vehicle types.” highways. Moove is a joint venture between ZF and e.GO Mobile electric drives in the 4.5 to 10 kW performance range. AG. For much larger low-floor buses, we supply the Take our Innovation Forklift, for example: ZF engi- JÖRG GROTENDORST AxTrax AVE electric portal axle, formerly the ZF AVE neers taught it to drive not just electrically, but also Head of e-mobility 130. It features two 125 kW electric motors and a autonomously. torque of 485 Nm. In articulated buses, it‘s even pos- sible to install two AxTRAX AVEs. The drive is already In off-road machinery, ZF‘s eTRAC drives are the operational in parts of the urban public transport basis for all-electric tractor concepts as well as for

fleets in Stuttgart, Mannheim and Bonn. unusual hybrid solutions: our electric Front Axle Drive · · (eFAD) combines torsion-free 4x4 drive with low · CeTrax is yet another system from ZF allowing consumption, while the eTRAC-GPE 50 electric wheel 27 · · all-electric driving for heavy commercial vehicles. This head on our Innovation Tractor features an electric · electric central drive boasts an output of 300 kW and motor on both the left and right wheels of one of the a torque of 4,400 Nm. Its little brother, CeTrax lite, trailer axles. The electric drive provides up to 80 kW features a 150 kW, 380 Nm module for delivery vans when the tractor is on loose or muddy ground or when and other light commercial vehicles weighing up to driving up or on steep inclines. This trailer traction 7.5 tons. CeTrax mid is a dual package with two 150 kW management system can often alleviate the need to modules for medium-duty commercial vehicles up to buy a bigger tractor. A plough electrified by ZF offers The ZF CeTrax – our electric central drive for 19 tons. similar advantages. commercial vehicles. ong plastic ridges are chassis components. Greger is used suspension. If a wheel rolls over stuck to the asphalt like to passengers – many of them buy- an obstacle, it lifts, compressing oversized Band-Aids. They ers or other research engineers a spring between the steering L are there for one reason from international automotive man- knuckle and the car body. Then the and one reason only: to wreak as ufacturers – reacting this way on spring decompresses. The shock The dynamic much havoc as possible on any the proving ground. “Our sMOTION absorber’s job is to attenuate the car that crosses them. Unper- fully active chassis system intro- resulting vibration as quickly as turbed, the driver steers his blue duces new degrees of freedom to possible. Aside from direct impact, compact MPV onto this special counteract vehicle body movement,” vehicles have to contend with shake and vibration track. One of he says. “We can give each wheel motive forces, braking forces and the passengers in the back clutches its own active countermovement centrifugal forces. These forces sedan the handle above the window as to prevent driving situations from associated with driving dynamics the minivan crosses the bumps exciting the car body.” But along can prompt the car body to move in at full speed. But from inside the with greater comfort, sMOTION sig- the direction of three spatial axes car, they're barely noticeable. nificantly improves dynamics and (see diagram below). The chal- ZF’S NEW ACTIVE DAMPING SYSTEM, SMOTION, TAKES “Impressive!” he gasps, releasing safety compared to current systems. lenge lies in the fact that different DRIVING COMFORT, DYNAMICS AND SAFETY TO A WHOLE his grip. Used in conjunction with cameras, driving situations each demand a NEW LEVEL. THAT’S A HUGE PLUS WHEN IT COMES TO the chassis system can identify specific damping force. Minimizing HIGHLY AUTOMATED DRIVING. ACTIVE EQUALS SAFER AND the road condition, for example by body movement on curves requires MORE COMFORTABLE anticipating bumps or potholes, and high damping force. Driving over change its settings accordingly. slightly uneven surfaces only Text: Martin Westerhoff Sven Greger, the man behind requires a little. And safe contact the wheel, chuckles with satisfac- A damping system has to deal between the tires and the ground tion. He's a ZF research engineer with a lot of situations. Uneven requires moderate damping force. who works on the basic develop- tracks inevitably lead to direct “A conventional shock absorber

ment of our semi-active and active impact, which is cushioned by the can only ever reach a compromise · · between sporty and comfortable, · albeit a good compromise,” says 29 · · WHEN VEHICLE DYNAMICS TRIGGER Dr. Christoph Elbers, vice president · car chassis technology develop- MOVEMENT, SMOTION KICKS IN ment at ZF.

Vertical axis Lifting and lowering is the up and down movement caused by uneven road surfaces.

See sMOTION on the proving ground – scan the QR code to watch the video.

Transverse axis Pitching is when the vehicle Longitudinal axis dips (when decelerating) or Rolling refers to the side tilt rears up (when accelerating). caused by cornering. THE EVOLUTION OF THE “sMOTION can actively sMOTION CDC DAMPING SYSTEM pull up or push down the No longer passive, but fully active – our shock absorber technology ZF's semi-active Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system wheels.” solved the problem of these con- STANDARD TWIN-TUBE SHOCK ABSORBER flicting objectives decades ago. DR. CHRISTOPH ELBERS Our semi-active damping system Vice president car chassis technology development The piston rod of the twin-tube shock absorber is went into volume production for PISTON ROD attached to the car body, and its casing is attached passenger cars in 1997. Using the to the steering knuckle. In the casing is a second pipe signals from two wheel and body completely full of oil, which is the working chamber. sensors for each spatial axis, plus The piston moves inside this cylinder. The distance additional information such as COMPENSATING between the inner pipe and the casing serves as a vehicle speed, lateral acceleration CHAMBER compensating chamber. This is not completely full and steering angle stored in a con- on conditions. But in highly auto- POWERFUL ACTUATORS of oil, since it has to be able to accommodate the oil trol unit, the system continuously mated or autonomous vehicles, all FOR A SMOOTH RIDE displaced from the working chamber when the piston monitors driving conditions and the occupants become passengers. PISTON VALVE rod goes down. The bottom of the working chamber calculates the optimum damping “And in that scenario, every vibra- sMOTION can actively adjust WOR K ING and the piston contain valves that restrict the oil force for each wheel. The shock tion, impact, roll or pitch simply movements occurring at a frequency CHAMBER flow more on the rebound direction (when the piston absorber has either one or two stops people from reading or of up to 5 Hertz – the equivalent of BOT TOM comes up) than in the compression direction (when electronically controlled solenoid working. This causes dispositions 0.2 seconds of vibration. In our test VALVE the piston goes down). When the piston rises, it sucks valves that can change the oil flow known as motion sickness, making vehicle, these adjustments are made oil out of the compensation chamber back into the in milliseconds to adjust the damp- these activities impossible,” says by a 2.5 kW actuator on each wheel. working chamber. ing hardness. ZF chassis expert Dr. Elbers. “This effect is amplified It's an electric pump that increases Dr. Elbers explains: “sMOTION by innovative seat arrangements the oil pressure either above or CDC VALVES takes things a step further. Using in which driver and passengers below the shock absorber piston · · the basic design of our tried- may no longer have a view in the and therefore actively moves it. For · and-tested CDC, we developed a direction of travel.” A remedy can high-frequency excitations – such as TWIN-TUBE SHOCK ABSORBER WITH CDC 31 · · damper that can actively pull up only be found in an active chassis. manhole covers, cross joints, rough · or push down the wheel.” sMOTION is a ZF solution for the asphalt or gravel – the sMOTION A shock absorber with Continuous Damping Control future that is already improving shock absorber has a bypass that (CDC) uses either one or two electrically controlled Until now, vehicle body exci- driving comfort today. Practically reverts to the CDC solenoid valves. solenoid valves. The CDC valves are used to vary the tation was tolerated or even desir- undisturbed by the driving process, hydraulic resistance continuously. Low resistance able to a certain degree so as to passengers can spend their travel Dr. Achim Thomä, technical produces soft damping; high resistance produces hard give drivers perceptible feedback time working or relaxing. project manager for sMOTION, damping. found himself and his team con- fronted with an unusual challenge. How could they convey the sys- tem's effectiveness if it stopped excitation so unobtrusively that CDC TWIN-TUBE SHOCK ABSORBER WITH SMOTION passengers could barely feel a VALVES sMOTION actively counteracts side tilt when cornering. The key thing? The solution was simple. The sMOTION shock absorber has an electric pump to autonomous driving is a beautifully undisturbed vehicle body. For demonstration purposes, Sven that pumps the oil from the upper working chamber to Greger now uses a tablet to control the lower chamber or vice versa. This produces active the shock absorbers on a stationary force. A bypass upstream of the pump makes it possible vehicle: individually, in pairs, or all to activate two CDC valves to deal with frequencies four at once. As he taps the screen, above 5 Hertz. the van lifts and lowers, pitches, rolls and shakes like a rodeo horse, at which point the engineers in the seats have every reason to cling to the handles despite the fact the car ELECTRIC MOTOR is not going anywhere! AND PUMP UNIT Fascinated by shock absorbers? Simply scan this QR code for more information. CLEAN AIR AND EFFICIENCY GO

ELECTRIFIED, AUTONOMOUS COMMERCIAL VEHICLES HOLD OUT THE PROMISE OF SAFE, ZERO-EMISSION DRIVING. WITH EXISTING STEERING SYSTEMS, HOWEVER, THIS IS MORE OF A FANTASY. SO WE’RE DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE ZF’S PROTOTYPE FOR AN ELECTROMECHANICAL STEERING SYSTEM. A WORLD FIRST.

Text: Achim Neuwirth

A BIG WIN FOR EFFICIENCY

But the environmental compat- ibility of this steering system goes beyond driving features alone; even the technology itself is eco-friendly.

“Based on its first test drives in · · trucks, ReAX EPS operates up to · 15 percent more efficiently than our 33 · · most advanced electro-hydraulic · he electric drive purrs our Electrically Powered Steering adjusted. “In line with ZF’s guiding system to date,” says Schulz. What’s quietly until the vehicle (EPS) makes the electrification and principle, See – Think – Act, ReAX more, it’s much lighter. This weight comes to a standstill. The automation of commercial vehicles EPS is a critical system component reduction, as well as its compact T only sound that follows a whole lot easier. “ReAX EPS even for enabling trucks and buses to design, is due to dispensing with is rubber on asphalt as the front has the potential to allow autono- act,” says Schulz, who goes on to the pump system, which means wheels turn while parking. As if by mous vehicles to maneuver without explain in more detail. “Networked that it has no need for a fossil fuel magic, the steering wheel turns all a mechanical link between the steer- with cutting-edge control electron- drive. Since a diesel engine always by itself. This is a familiar scenario ing wheel and steered wheels,” says ics such as the ZF ProAI central has to be running for servo-assisted to drivers of hybrid and electric Schulz. computer and with environmental electro- hydraulic steering systems, passenger cars equipped with ZF sensors and other vehicle systems, they are unsuited for full hybrids and technology. INTELLIGENTLY NETWORKED the intelligent steering system can purely electric drives. ReAX EPS, on WITH THE FUTURE handle many tasks, ranging from the other hand, has two advantages This, however, is different: the lateral control to SAE Level 4 auto- in this respect. First, its actuator vehicle is a truck. ZF has transferred Steering a 40-ton truck without mated driving.” This means that is designed for an electric vehicle its system expertise in passenger a direct mechanical link or a hydrau- a truck can steer itself on certain drive. Second, the steering system car steering technology to commer- lic pump system? Unthinkable. Until sections of the highway or in load- itself requires so little installation cial vehicles. The outcome – at the now. But ReAX EPS has an electric ing areas so the driver can work on space that it allows greater design same time a world first – is ReAX motor with a maximum torque other activities or rest. ReAX EPS is freedom for the components elec- EPS, an electromechanical steering of 70 Nm to transfer the required also perfect for platooning, where trifying the vehicle’s driveline. The system for trucks and buses. “ReAX force to the steering mechanisms. trucks are electronically coupled first vehicles to benefit from ZF’s EPS is the first all-electric steering ZF has combined this motor, its while driving, with minimal safety steering innovation will no doubt system for commercial vehicles to control unit, the steering gear and distances between them thanks to be delivery trucks, since those with Lower energy consumption, lower weight and less space: hit the market,” says Mitja Schulz, the sensor system in a highly com- the autopilot. In addition, it can be combustion engines are likely to dispensing with the hydraulic pump makes ReAX EPS a highly head of ZF’s CV Steering Systems pact actuator unit. So the steering used in Park Assist or Lane Keeping soon be banned from certain city efficient, flexible-use system. Business Unit. Currently a prototype, can be electronically controlled and Assist features. centers. NEW HEIGHTS CONCEPTS. AUTONOMOUS DRIVING OFTHE DEVELOPMENT TO ACCELERATETOGETHER BAIDU ARE WORKING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY CHINESE AND ZF (AI). INTELLIGENCEARTIFICIAL IS FOCUSES KEY THEIR OF TOMORROW. ONE OF ON THE TECHNOLOGIES WORKING INTENSELY CORPORATIONS ARE CHINESEMAJOR Text: Friederike Pater Friederike Text: S ogy giants: Huawei, Tencent, ZTE, ZTE, Tencent, Huawei, giants: ogy of this unique ecosystem. “Here in “Here ecosystem. unique this of tech out churning is and overnight of China’s nationwide digitalization quickly ideas can turn into series series into turn can ideas quickly be to has everything drum; different companies valuable partners. partners. valuable companies zhen was still a sleepy fishing vil fishing asleepy still was zhen China’s digital evolution as well as well as evolution digital China’s China, we march to the beat of a of beat the to march we China, skyscrapers nosing up through a through up nosing skyscrapers China. “It is fascinating to see how how see to fascinating is “It China. Ping,Qi head of development at ZF nological innovationsnological at a breath products.” of spirit innovation, The traffic. The taxi passes miles of miles passes taxi The traffic. taking pace. ZF is already a part apart already is ZF pace. taking the names of Chinese technol glass by dominated is cityscape the thirst for progress makes Chinese Chinese makes progress for thirst unquenchable an and pace fast the Shenzhen. It has become the heart heart the become has It Shenzhen. Dingoo. Dingoo. just 40 years ago the city of Shen of city the ago 40 years just houses, and it’s hard to believe that that believe to hard it’s and houses, factory buildings and giant ware giant and buildings factory faster, higher, more advanced,” says says advanced,” more higher, faster, layer of smog. The buildings bear bear buildings The smog. of layer lage Hong just Kong. outside Today, No other city demonstrates No other city MADE INMADE SHENZHEN DIGITALIZATION, carves its way through through way its carves and buses in stop-and-go the maze of cars, mopeds mopeds cars, of maze the lowly but surely, the taxi taxi the surely, but lowly -

- - - - - “By working with technology leaders leaders technology with “By working A study by auditing and consulting consulting and auditing by A study According to forecasts, the figure of 70 percent compared to 2017. to compared 70 percent of national the in role amajor given our be soon could China economy. drawing the of attention developers (AI). Chinese The government is $3.7 trillion. $7 trillion by 2030 purely on the the on purely 2030 by trillion $7 GDP will rise to the equivalent of equivalent the to rise will GDP Gart up. this backs Gartner pany future. the shape will AI that sure China too has become an AI epicen AI an become has too China been even has it that important so manu automotive or Baidu as such next four years. four next intelligence valueness of artificial busi global the place analysts ner we’re and market, important most will rise to $3.9 trillion within the the within trillion $3.9 to rise will Qi. says that,” for prepared well to determine the future of the global global the of future the determine to ter. By 2025, it will be closing in on in closing be will it 2025, ter. By firm PwC estimates that China’s that estimates PwC firm intelligence plan: artificial five-year five years will be market leader. market be will years five increase of about 15 percent, to 15 percent, about of increase aGDP predicts PwC America North insights into the market that is set set is that market the into insights North America and within another another within and America North increase an 2018in $1.2 trillion, at is It China. over all and Shenzhen in facturers likefacturers Chery, we gain deep back of AI. As a comparison, for for acomparison, As AI. of back birthplace of artificial intelligence, of artificial birthplace ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEARTIFICIAL A study by market research com research market by A study One particular technology is technology particular One While it’s true that the US is the the is US the that true it’s While STRONG GROWTH IN GROWTH STRONG IS BOOSTING AI BOOSTING IS BIG DATA DATA BIG

-

- - - - explains Dr. Xing Yuan, general man Yuan, general Dr. Xing explains edge of digitalization. draws on its concentrated knowl concentrated its on draws cent dominates instant messaging Ten time. no in giant e-commerce and eBay Chinese of akind as out developer and operator, has become ager of series production and com and production series of ager advance. On top of this, the country country the this, of top On advance. areas of life and can even improve it. it. improve even can and life of areas and Wikipedia. Today, it’s also the the Today, also it’s Wikipedia. and in universe parallel digital of a kind population, China also has a huge China. Baidu, once a search engine engine asearch once Baidu, China. triumvirate corporate the of part is goal “Our Baidu. at mercialization nership with ZF since 2017. since ZF with Along nership maps. Online retailer Alibaba started started Alibaba retailer Online maps. tions for the mobility of the future,” future,” the of mobility the for tions with Alibaba and Tencent, it forms forms it Tencent, and Alibaba with make and technology AI promote to the information it needs in order to order in needs it information the large its Given explosion. AI the behind factors only the not are tions to me as it can be used in so many many so in used be can it as me to the Chinese equivalent of Google Google of equivalent Chinese the viding artificial intelligencewith viding artificial pro disposal, its at data of volume Last but not least, it also offers solu offers also it least, not but Last it practical for everyday life.” for everyday practical it has developed into an Amazon-like Amazon-like an into developed has represents “BAT,” as which known leading of provider high-resolution RESEARCH IN HOMEGROWNRESEARCH “Artificial intelligence is intriguing is intriguing intelligence “Artificial But state subsidies and regula and subsidies state But Baidu has been working in part in working been has Baidu AI LABORATORIESAI ------35 · · · · · · services with its WeChat platform Baidu’s high-resolution maps “Here in and is also a leader in the gaming are making a major contribution to sector. All three companies now autonomous driving. Modern sen- China, we have their own “AI Labs” in which sor technology in special vehicles SPEAKER’S CORNER they explore the universe of artificial records the global road networks and march to intelligence. provides the data for high-definition

(HD) maps. However, updating the Erik Figenbaum is a researcher at the Norwegian the beat of China has become a pioneer in entire traffic infrastructure on a daily Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) in Oslo, alternative concepts of mobility. The basis is near-impossible. To remain an independent and privately owned research a different government’s next goal is to set the in the game, Baidu had to find the institute based on a foundation. global standard for the autonomous right partner. “Cooperation between drum; cars of the future. It intends to net- a digitization company such as Baidu work intelligent vehicles with a view and an established automotive sup- everything to reducing accidents and emissions plier like ZF allows the strengths of by 30 percent and 20 percent each company to come to the fore, to Electrified Nation has to respectively by 2025. the customers’ benefit,” comments Dr. Xing Yuan, and adds: “ZF is the FOR YEARS NOW, NORWAY HAS BEEN GATHERING EXPERIENCE WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON be faster, COMBINED STRENGTHS perfect partner for us, and its super- A LARGE SCALE. HOW DOES E-MOBILITY WORK IN THIS NORDIC COUNTRY, AND HOW CAN computer ZF ProAI is an excellent THIS BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER COUNTRIES? AN ASSESSMENT. higher, more “AI is a game changer, and autono- product.” ZF ProAI is an AI-capable mous driving is the future of mobility. vehicle computer with a wide range advanced.” And we want to be part of that from of configuration options. Norway is the global leader in electric vehicle adop- from charging loads. 94 percent of Norwegian BEV own- the outset,” says Xing Yuan, explain- tion per capita. More than eight percent of the cars in the ers charge at home in their own parking space, and many QI PING ing Baidu’s transformation into an ON A COMMON MISSION national fleet are rechargeable. Two-thirds are battery only drive locally, hence getting by with home charging. Head of development, ZF China AI specialist. “Autonomous driving electric vehicles (BEVs); the rest are plug-in hybrids presents the perfect challenge when Chinese car-sharing operator (PHEVs). Since the 1990s, Norway has been supporting On long-distance trips, users will of course need to it comes to the use of artificial intel- Pand’s electric vehicles are already the BEV market through exemptions in purchase tax, road recharge – unlike diesel car owners, who can fill up for the ligence. And we are focusing on use being tested with the ZF-Baidu tech- toll, parking charges, and by bus lane access. PHEVs have entire trip. It will be expensive to operate a fast-charging of the technology in the automotive nology, and some Chinese cities will fewer incentives, but are more attractive than diesel vehi- infrastructure meeting all needs for long-distance driving sector. Our goal is to commercialize soon allow autonomous vehicles to cles. Together, they facilitate a gradual shift to e-mobility. on peak travel days. On-street charging is another big Al for volume production.” be tested on public roads. challenge inhibiting BEV ownership in densely populated The substantial tax exemptions have made BEVs the cities. The municipality of Oslo has installed chargers cheapest vehicles to buy, and this advantage becomes in parking lots and on streets, but struggles to keep up directly visible in the sales price. Multi-vehicle families, with the demand. Other mobility services could act as the main adopters, find BEVs economical to use and face supportive measures preserving mobility in crowded city only few barriers. They park and recharge their BEV on centers. Battery life is not yet an issue in Norway – maybe, their own land, and can use their other vehicle for driving because our summers are not that hot. Heat, however, long distances. If other countries are able to reach the is the main factor in degrading battery life. When the same group with suitable incentives, a market pull will be battery capacity decreases, BEVs will most likely continue THE THREE CHINESE AI GIANTS: DID YOU KNOW? created, leading to a steep increase in BEV adoption. to be used by less-demanding users until the end of the vehicle life. Then the batteries are handed in for recycling, But Norway has other favorable conditions. Diesel is organized by the vehicle importers, and subsidized by a expensive, and electricity is cheap with 98 percent based 300 -euro scrappage bonus. on emission-free hydropower, so the emission benefit Baidu Alibaba Tencent is huge. This benefit has also been realized at EU level, Norway has proven that BEVs can sell well in a mass The Beijing-based group operates the Chinese internet conglomerate Alibaba With brand equity of $178 billion, as electricity production is part of the EU greenhouse market, and that the vehicles can easily be integrated eponymous search engine Baidu. In Group is home to 12 brands. One of the Tencent currently ranks fourth among gas emission trading system, whereas transportation is into the overall vehicle fleet by multi-car households. The the first quarter of 2018, the company most successful is the mobile payment the world’s most valuable brands. The not. Low superhighway speed limits in Norway reduce Norwegian e-mobility incentives have created a powerful generated revenue of approximately service Alipay, run by group subsidiary group operates in a diverse range of energy consumption and preserve the range, whereas bottom-up market pull, whereas governments in coun- $3.33 billion. Baidu is not afraid to Ant Financial, currently the most business areas from instant messaging cold winters reduce the range by 25 percent compared tries like Germany focus more on policies creating a top- experiment, and is constantly expanding valuable fintech company in the world. to social media and online gaming. to summer driving. The Norwegian grid is robust enough down market push. The bonus to German BEV buyers into new business areas – from meal Its main sources of sales are B2C and WeChat is the most popular messaging to handle charging, as we use electricity for space heat- introduced last year seems less effective than originally delivery services, to online payment B2B e-commerce platforms Alibaba.com service in China, with a billion users. ing. Countries with less robust grids will need policies expected and may therefore need to be increased in order providers, to tomorrow’s autonomous and AliExpress. that are capable of cushioning electricity peaks resulting to have a real impact on their purchasing behavior. driving. rýdlant is a tranquil town of 8,000 inhabitants in the northern Czech Republic, Fjust a few forests and fields away from the Polish border. ZF has Miracu- trans- a special factory here in Frýdlant. First, the navigation system guides visitors uphill to the extreme west- ern edge of the town. On top of the hill, a two-story, half-round build- ing stands on stilts. To its side, two floors lower, are four elongated lous forma- workshops nestled against the slope. The large logo on the facade and the Text: Frank Thoma blue ZF flags fluttering in the wind in front make the announcement of the REMANUFACTURING IS A navigation system superfluous: “You SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE have reached your destination.” TO NEW PRODUCTION. A VISIT TO THE CZECH LOCATION IN tion The destination is a remanu- FRÝDLANT EXEMPLIFIES HOW facturing plant. Since 1999, its ZF IS GIVING A SECOND LIFE employees have been reworking TO DIFFERENT SAFETY a wide variety of automotive

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS safety technology products on · · THROUGH REMANUFACTURING 20,000 square meters. In contrast · OF USED PRODUCTS. to conventional repair of individual 39 · · products in workshops, remanu­ · facturing is reconditioning of high-quality components on an industrial scale. It may differ from a new part in terms of price but not in quality. The ecological footprint is also good: compared to newly manufactured products, remanu­ facturing requires between 50 and 90 percent less raw materials and only about one-tenth of the energy. Helmut Ernst, senior vice president of the ZF Aftermarket Division, says: “We enable our cus- tomers’ mobility in line with nature, because of the perfect comple- ment of economy and ecology in remanufacturing. Our innovational strength relates to technology and the corresponding service offers.”

The remanufacturing portfolio in Frýdlant includes brake calipers for passenger as well as commercial vehicles, mechanical, Brake caliper before and after remanufacturing. hydraulic and electric passenger Watch the Frýdlant remanufacturing processes at work – the QR code takes you directly to the video.

Brake calipers leave the blasting unit and are reworked.

Delivery of brake calipers to the sorting hall. car steering systems, commercial vehicle steering systems, vane How does remanufacturing pumps, electrohydraulic steering work? Horvath takes his visitors on system pumps, and mechatronic a tour of the factory halls, using the and electronic components. New example of his main product, the products are added almost every brake caliper, to show the individual year. “It’s absolutely fascinating to steps of remanufacturing. make something new out of some- thing used with clever solutions in TRANSFORMING A USED · · detail – and to be able to do such a PART INTO A NEW PRODUCT · Finally, the assembly thing in an environmentally friendly Removal of all attachment parts 41 of the now-plated · · and sustainable manner,” ­Jirka from the caliper. Individually packaged in large · calipers takes place. ­Horvath says enthusiastically. The boxes or unpackaged in wire- director operations remanufacturing Afterwards, brake calipers are frame baskets, forklift trucks bring has been in Frýdlant for 16 years. transported through an industrial the brake calipers, which have During this time, he has shaped the washing machine. become oily-black and corroded process of the plant becoming spe- over the years, into the sorting cialized in remanufacturing, along hall. There, an employee records with its growth from 120 employees each individual brake caliper by to currently around 370. entering its part number into a PC. In the process, he also subjects BEST GLOBAL GROWTH the part to a visual inspection. “For PROSPECTS 6.6 percent. Although the United the safety of the remanufactured States is considered the largest product, it is extremely important Horvath is not the only one remanufacturing market, the that only undamaged parts enter convinced that the business in prospects for strong growth are still the remanufacturing process,” remanu­facturing will continue to bright for Europe and particularly for ­Horvath explains. The brake cali- grow. Analysts from market research China. Aging vehicle fleets as well pers, now recorded in the system, BILLION US DOLLARS firm Frost & Sullivan concluded in as the required CO2 reduction are continue to another hall for disas- their 2016 survey that worldwide boosting the remanufacturing busi- sembly. The visitors are greeted remanufacturing sales relating to ness. For example, surveys show by loud banging there. Three men is the expected global annual turnover passenger cars and light commer- that in Europe half of all vehicles with gloves and safety goggles use from remanufacturing for passenger cial vehicles alone will reach nearly are already older than eight years. heavy tools to remove the piston cars and light commercial vehicles by $50 billion by 2022 (2015 sales This ensures a steady stream of from the brake cylinder and all 2022 (currently $31.7 billion). estimated at $31.7 billion). For the used parts – referred to as “cores” – attachments made of rubber, metal period from 2015 to 2022, they from the market to remanufacturing and plastic from the brake caliper. expect an annual growth rate of plants like the one in Frýdlant. They are placed in waste containers. Special screws protect the sensitive threads on the brake cali- Due to more and more electronic components, per from the next processing steps. their remanufacturing gains in importance. The brake caliper is transported through an industrial washing machine on a wire mesh conveyor. A neutral cleaner degreases the surfaces there. Now the brake caliper is ready for what is referred to as the continuous shot blast machine. Depending on the brake caliper material, it is blasted with small plastic or steel particles for up to 15 minutes. At the end of this process, a formerly black com- ponent with a rough surface has become a smooth, matt-shimmer- ing brake caliper that already looks like new. A ZF service provider An in-house mechatronic laboratory opens many interesting then plates the component. possibilities in remanufacturing.

NEW REMANUFACTURING the used product, it complies with matter of time before the need for APPLICATIONS the state of the series production. remanufacturing also increases for In cases where there are no spare these products. Examples for this

One area that is becoming parts for refurbishing electrical include products such as hybrid · · increasingly important is the steering systems, for example, engi- transmissions or electric axle drives. · remanu­facturing of mechatronics neers look for alternatives and even Horvath is aware of this and pre- 43 · · SAFETY WITHOUT and electronics. The experts in develop control electronics tailored paring for it: “In remanufacturing, · COMPROMISE Frýdlant are already recondition- to what is needed. For this purpose, we are currently experiencing a ing mechatronic modules of steer- ZF operates its own mechatronic movement towards mechatronics After the component returns ing pumps, replacing electronic laboratory in Frýdlant. and electronics. In order to live up Director operations remanufacturing new out of something used – and to be able able be to and used – something of out new friendly and sustainable manner.” JIRKA HORVATH Cannot be distinguished from a new environmentally an in a thing such do to “It is absolutely fascinating to make something something make to fascinating absolutely is “It to the plant, assembly takes components on circuit boards to our maxim of ‘safety first’ com- part: a remanufactured brake caliper. place. Employees provide each and updating software. Because As more and more electronics pletely, we will be investing more brake caliper with up to 20 new remanufacturing incorporates the are making mechanical components in the future – in our capabilities as parts ­necessary for its function. In advancement of technology into in the car intelligent, it is only a well as in our equipment.” addition, the housing receives a special engraving, as brake calipers are only allowed to be remanufac- Each electrical steering with remanufactured electronics and tured once. On the adjacent test mechanics is put on a test bench at the end of the process. bench, the pressure test is carried out for tightness of the hydraulically actuated piston and for the strength of the entire brake caliper structure. “Braking and steering systems are safety-relevant car parts that can save lives. That’s why safety comes first with the remanufactur- ing process; we would never com- promise on quality,” says ­Horvath. For this reason, every product is tested – without exception – before it is packaged and returned to the market. in a nut- “ZF’s effort to shepherd electric shell and autonomous technology into commercial vehicles highlights the role that automotive suppliers hope Not just for to play in a changing industry.” TRUCKS.COM mountaineering fans USA

Mid-size cars, luxury vehicles, SUVs – ZF’s in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. Alfa Romeo equips 8-speed 8HP automatic transmission shifts them all! all Stelvio engines with the 8HP as standard. Why? Produced according to the modular design principle, Because it’s efficient and dynamic. With the top‑of- · it can accommodate each and every application. And the-line engine in “Race” mode, the transmission · · with a 300 to 1,000 Nm torque range, it’s also ideal can shift in just 150 milliseconds and, under ideal Clean and 45 for use in all-wheel drive vehicles – like the Stelvio, conditions, the Stelvio can go from 0 to 100 km/h in · · Alfa Romeo’s first SUV, named after the highest pass 3.8 seconds. green on the · Emerald Isle

Reducing fuel consumption and emissions – and EcoWorld is one of the lightest among powershift therefore also costs – is now the order of the day for transmissions. Integrated in its compact housing is a train operators just as it is for everyone else. ZF’s primary retarder with high braking performance. Irish 6-speed EcoWorld automatic transmission fits the bill Rail, Ireland’s national railroad operator, was quick to perfectly, saving almost 20 percent more fuel compared see these benefits. They recently signed a deal with to hydrodynamic transmissions, with a corresponding MTU to retrofit three compact drive systems for the drop in CO2 emissions. At just 496 kilograms, the ZF ZF EcoWorld transmission system. Masthead

YEARS

ZF in Brazil: The 60th anniversary of Publisher the first company location outside ZF Friedrichshafen AG, 88038 Friedrichshafen Germany will be celebrated with many scheduled events in the fall. Head of internal communi­cations and publishing Susanne Scherbaum

Head of cross media publishing Florian Tausch

Editor in chief Frank Thoma (responsible according to the press law)

Editorial team Tamara Beck, Svenja Karl, Michael Scheibe, Jan Wienrich Emission-free Other authors in this issue Erik Figenbaum, Andreas Neemann, Achim Neuwirth, Friederike Pater, through the city Martin Westerhoff, Kathrin Wildemann

Concept, design and production Oliver Schrott Kommunikation GmbH, An den Dominikanern 11-27, 50668 Demand for city buses with hybrid or all-electric drives is increasing Köln across the globe. The AxTrax AVE (formerly the AVE 130) electric portal Layout axle with integrated wheel hub drive is suitable for all electric buses, Jacqueline Page, Nicole Schmatloch, Vivian Schmidt, hybrid buses and low-floor trolleybuses. Since the installation space Yasser Serdani, Holger Thomas required is no bigger than for a conventional portal axle, ZF’s drive axle Printer can be integrated into existing chassis platforms. Mercedes-Benz has NEEF + STUMME premium printing, opted for the AxTrax AVE in its new all-electric eCitaro. Each of the axle’s Wittingen two electric motors has an output of 125 kW, powered by lithium-ion Picture credits Cover GettyImages / lirtlon; 03 ZF; batteries on the roof and in the rear. Volume production of the eCitaro 04­–05 American Commercial Barge is due to start at the end of the year. Line; 08­–09 GettyImages / Orbon Alija;10­–11 GettyImages / Arno Masse; 12 GettyImages / DOUGBERRY; 13 Black Star / Alamy Stock Foto; 16­–17 ZF; 20–21 GettyImages / ollo; 22 GettyImages / ollo, ZF; 23­–32 ZF; 34 EyeEm / Xiao Lng Fng; 37 TØI; 38–39 ZF; 40­–43 ZF; 44 FCA; 45 ZF, Irish Rail; 46 Daimler AG; 47 ZF, ZF/KD Busch