ZF showcases its solutions at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show, including the world’s first modular truck transmission, TraXon.

Technology for commercial vehicles, and the Spotlight on TraXon
Intelligent technology is all the buzz as the commercial vehicle sector rapidly moves toward an automated and autonomous world, with ZF at the forefront of the research, development and implementation of this technology.
The ZF Services Australia stand this year at the Brisbane Truck Show will feature its future-technology-now world-first modular TraXon transmission.
TraXon is equipped with ZF’s innovative electronics, including software that combines a predictive shifting strategy, PreVision GPS, which connects the transmission with GPS data and digital maps.
This means TraXon knows the exact route in advance, including topography, and takes that information into account when selecting gears and shifting points, ensuring reduced fuel consumption and stress on the transmission.
Offering a choice of 12 or 16 forward gears and up to four reverse gears, TraXon is suitable for torque requirements of up to 3400Nm and can be linked to five setting-off and shift modules.
This makes the transmission more economical in practice and provides manufacturers and operators with flexibility and efficiency for different applications.
Future commercial vehicle technology
As part of ZF’s commitment to advancing vehicle electrification, it has welcomed TraXon Hybrid, which combines the TraXon with a powerful hybrid module to enable electric or electrically supported driving.
TraXon Hybrid, an automated transmission system, makes 40-tonne trucks and coaches up to seven per cent more economical.
In TraXon Hybrid, an electric motor with an integrated transmission ratio positioned between the combustion engine and transmission supports a maximum 130kW and 1200Nm output torque.
In generator mode, the hybrid module can supply power to other power units, for example, during refrigerated transports.
Electric drivelines
From light vans to city buses to heavy-duty trucks, ZF also offers a wide variety of electric drivelines systems.
Electric rear axle modules such as the AxTrax AVE can replace a conventional rear axle in existing bus platforms and make emission-free driving possible, as does CeTrax lite, a central electric drive for commercial vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes.
ZF Service Australia’s team of experts will be on hand at the Brisbane Truck Show to answer any questions attendees may have about electric drivelines.
Next-Generation Mobility
ZF’s advanced technologies can allow vehicles to see, think and act. Its products are regularly integrated into vehicles to show how tomorrow’s mobility can function in today’s vehicles.
For commercial vehicles, ZF has developed the Innovation Truck which is capable of maneuvering autonomously around a depot, whereby as soon as the driver has entered the premises, they can get out and activate the autonomous driving mode.
The truck will find its way – using the camera-based and radar-supported sensor setup (“see”) – to the target position, driving autonomously and electrically.
Once there, the truck will unload any swap bodies it may already have loaded using its Swap Body Pilot function and then load a new container.
Controlling the Innovation Truck is ZF proAI’s centralised computer (“think”) with other ZF’s technologies enabling it to “act” – the active electrohydraulic ReAX commercial vehicle steering system and the TraXon Hybrid automatic transmission system, among different types of technology.
True to its guiding principle of “see. think. act.” ZF has the technical competence and range of products to allow vehicles to do just that. ZF Aftermarket takes this philosophy a step further.
It sees the future challenges that the market faces and develops and establishes the appropriate products, service portfolios and workshop concepts, and sets the pace and standards for tomorrow’s mobility.
Source: Brisbane Truck Show