ZF Friedrichshafen focuses on serving engine efficiency and emissions reduction goals 

 

ZF Friedrichshafen AG, the German automotive chassis and driveline technology company, is strengthening its capabilities to serve e-mobility. 

 

"Electromobility is coming, and in view of the current controversies over car emissions, perhaps even sooner than we thought," said Stefan Sommer, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen. 

 

ZF recently added an e-mobility division to its corporate structure to ensure it is better able to meet the needs of its customers. The new division, which was established earlier this year, has brought all e-mobility related ZF technologies, which were distributed across multiple organizational units in previous years, into one division with over 5,000 employees. 

 

The new division is a complement to five existing divisions that produce car powertrain technology, car chassis technology, commercial vehicle technology, industrial technology, and active and passive safety technology. 

 

"ZF has identified several mega trends in the automotive industry which we want to be a significant party to. One of these mega trends is, of course, efficiency," said Joerg Grotendorst, who is the head of the e-mobility division of ZF. 

 

He said that ZF's immediate goal is not pure e-mobility but promoting electrification to reduce the combustion engine's workload and optimize fuel consumption. 

 

"We will help our customers improve their efficiency and achieve their carbon dioxide emission goals," Grotendorst said. 

 

The core of the new e-mobility division is ZF's existing electronic systems and electric traction drive technology business units. Additionally, there will be an E-Mobility System House, which will incorporate various e-mobility projects from the entire company. 

 

Grotendorst said that the new division will focus primarily on three areas of activity: low-voltage technology, plug-in hybrid drivelines and electric axle drives. Volume production of plug-in hybrid transmissions has already started. 

 

ZF has engaged in e-motors and electrification since 2008. However, the perception of ZF is that most of their projects have historically been linked to transmissions. Grotendorst said the company plans to "focus on full electrification of vehicle drive trends". 

 

"What I mean is that it can be transmission electrification but it can also be the electrical accessories, chassis components or whatever," Grotendorst said. 

 

While many industrial giants are exploring opportunities in the e-mobility sector, what makes ZF different, Grotendorst said, is that its customers will benefit from the group's overall expertise and in-depth knowledge of electric drivelines, chassis and related components enabling customers to get solutions from a single source. 

 

According to ZF, its e-mobility product portfolio ranges from integrated 48-volts solutions outputting 15 kilowatts which can be used in mild hybrid systems to powerful electric motors producing up to 120 kilowatts for plug-in hybrid transmissions. 

 

"A lot of competitors can deliver electronics, motors and transmissions. But if you want to put these together, we are the only company in the world who have everything under one roof," he said. 

 

"We will leverage our product range and our expertise so we can offer even more integrated solutions," he added. 

 

ZF considers China one of the most important markets for e-mobility because of the government's focus on the environment and support for new-energy vehicles. 

 

China's central government plans to have five million NEVs on the nation's roads by 2020, and it has implemented a series of policies to support the realization of that target. 

 

At the end of 2015, the central government issued a draft plan that will reward provinces and cities that meet the minimum requirement of selling more than 30,000 NEVS this year with 90 million yuan ($13.88 million). 

 

There will be a special bonus of 7.5 million yuan for every 2,500 units of increased sales. The reward ceiling is 120 million yuan. 

 

The government also requires all new residential complexes to have charging posts or to assign space for them, while at least 10 percent of the spaces in public parking lots should have charging facilities. 

 

"I think overall China has put some great programs in place to achieve five million new-energy vehicles by 2020. The policy requiring public parking lots to have charging facilities in at least 10 percent of the parking spaces by 2020 is something where the development of e-mobility in China is in a much better position than in Germany," Grotendorst said. 

 

"All in all, China is well positioned to be one of leading markets for e-mobility," he said. "China is going the right way and even Germany can learn something from it." 

 

ZF has established both a research and development team and a sales team which focus on e-mobility in Shanghai to meet demand from the Chinese market. 

 

He said it is necessary to form such research and development teams in local markets because they will have better knowledge about local market, which will be beneficial to customers. 

 

GB 8410-Flammability Test to Motor Vehicle – Chinese Standard

http://www.ecosafene.com/EN/firetesting/motorvehicle/270.html