ZF helping scale electric trailers across North America
ZF has partnered with electric-powered trailer convertor Range Energy (Range), to help drive the development and adoption of the Range eTrailer System within the North American commercial trucking industry.
The collaboration will see ZF’s AxTrax 2 e-axle integrated into Range’s eTrailer System to address critical fleet demands, such as greater efficiency, emissions reductions, and range extension, with the goal of advancing the widespread scalability of hybrid and zero-emissions trucking.
John Hawkins, senior vice president, Commercial Vehicle Solutions, ZF said: “We believe electrified trailers are a viable solution to help lower emissions for food delivery or transportation of goods, improve fuel economy for combustion engines in the powertrain, extend the range of BEV and electric trucks, reduce exhaust, noise and brake particle pollution, and further improve total cost of ownership. With Range’s market position, the company was a logical trailer partner for the AxTrax 2 e-axle in North America.”
In addition to supplying its electric axle to Range, ZF will also seek to accelerate Range’s relationships with ecosystem partners, such as component suppliers and integrations with trailer and tractor original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Range’s eTrailer system includes a modular battery pack, the ZF AxTrax 2 e-axle, and a smart kingpin equipped with Range’s patented control algorithms. Range’s eTrailer System is delivering projected savings of up to $20,000 per trailer per year in early tests, and up to 70 per cent reduction in emissions, all while using existing equipment and infrastructure.
The AxTrax 2 is an axle-based, fully integrated system, featuring a compact design to help maximise the available space for batteries and enhance manufacturers’ design flexibility for future vehicle concepts. It is designed to be fully synchronised with key vehicle functions, including braking, ADAS and automated driving systems to help enhance vehicle safety and efficiency. It also enables advanced digital and telematics systems via CAN bus to communicate and share e-axle system information.
“With ZF, we aim to rapidly advance our platform with tried and tested components, further proving that electric-powered trailers can play a critical role in reducing the environmental impact of commercial trucking,” said Ali Javidan, CEO and founder, Range.
Initial customer deliveries of Range’s eTrailer System are expected to begin this year, and the company currently has pre-production units deployed in customer pilots across North America.