ZF has developed a thermal management system for use in electric vehicles
Technology company ZF has unveiled its self-developed thermal management system for electric vehicles, which not only offers a more compact design of the drive but can also increase the range of vehicles in winter by up to one third. In combination with an optimised electric drive train consisting of power electronics, motor and reduction gearbox based on 800-volt silicon carbide, the system sets new standards in compactness and weight. The newly developed powertrain software also makes a significant contribution to higher efficiency.
“With this approach, ZF is underlining its system expertise in electromobility and providing e-cars with a greater range,” said Dr Holger Klein, CEO of ZF.
The new powertrain is free of heavy rare earth elements and can be used flexibly by car manufacturers thanks to its modular design. After presenting the concept last November, ZF has now realised the new generation of the electric drive with thermal management in a demonstration vehicle.
In the vehicle, the components of the electric driveline have been optimised and combined into a holistic system. The drive package has a 30 per cent lower overall weight and, in this way, together with thermal management, enables a torque density of 70 Newton metres per kilogram of drive weight. This is a peak value for road-legal passenger cars currently available on the market.
“Just a few months ago it was only a vision, now our drive can be experienced in a sports car,” said Klein. “Not only are we consistently pursuing our strategy of sustainable and efficient mobility for the future, but we are also adapting our development processes to the new speed of our industry.”
United Chassis Technology
In addition to electromobility, ZF’s by-wire products as networked and electronically controllable braking, steering and damping systems are examples of the second major volume topic of the future: chassis technologies. ZF is grasping the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical control of a vehicle and sees great potential for the future in networked chassis components.
The new unit bundles ZF’s entire chassis, steering and braking expertise. “The Chassis Solution division offers all the hardware components needed to control a vehicle’s vertical, longitudinal and lateral dynamics – and also the associated networking in the form of hardware and software,” explained Klein.
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