Many Leading Brands Worldwide Preferred our Axtrax Electroportal Axle

“OUR CeTrax CENTRAL ENGINE IS A PREFERRED PRODUCT IN CONVERSION TO ELECTRICITY”

“UP TO 3 PERCENT LESS FUEL CONSUMPTION IS PROVIDED WITH ECOLIFE II”

We also talked about ZF's evaluations, predictions and innovations in the field of security systems for the past year. Details are in our news…

Stating that ZF is at a good level after the pandemic process that started in 2020 and continued in 2021, Hassas states that the problems experienced not only by ZF but also by the entire automotive industry still continue. Stating that there has been a decrease in public sales, precision underlines that the Turkish market shrank in the first production, but exports took its place. Hassas said that; “Declining new vehicle sales in Turkey, especially our business on the OEM side, has been affected. But people had to make a living and run their vehicles. We were able to compensate for the loss in our sales with their retail purchases, and we anticipate that our business will go better in the coming years.”

“We Displayed ZF's Rich Product Range at Our Stand”

Touching on the importance of Busworld for ZF with the acquisition of WABCO, Hassas said that; “The foreign representatives of the newly created Commercial Vehicle Solutions Business Unit and Intermobil, the distributor of the WABCO brand, were at our stand. They also have a good ongoing dialogue with both OEMs and their customers. This reflected positively on us as well. We exhibited the rich product range of our Commercial Vehicle Solutions Business Unit at our stand, we received very positive feedback from our customers and we were happy.”

“Many Worldwide Leading Manufacturer Brands Preferred Our AxTrax Elektroportal Axle”

Stating that one of the products they exhibited at the fair is AxTrax, Hassas indicated that the electric axle is used in low-floor city electric buses. He added that he started working with many OEMs in Turkey and said that; “We have customers who have started mass production, as well as customers who have ordered prototypes and received offers. AxTrax is a product with a bright future, it has a power of 250 kW, it is water cooled and one of its greatest features is that it can be connected to the existing axle of the vehicle with the same connection points. Therefore, it provides a great convenience to the manufacturer. It allows to design the sitting or standing areas in the passenger cabin more comfortably. While other systems have an engine room and an elevation for the transmission, there is no such need when this system is used. Many leading companies around the world have preferred and are using this axle. One of its biggest advantages is that it is quiet; because sound is a very important element in electric vehicles. Since there is an integrated system here, there is no need for cardan shaft and conventional axle in practice; apart from their silent operation, they also make a significant contribution to lightening the vehicle.

“CeTrax is a Preferred Product for Central Motor to Electric Conversion”

Stating that another product they exhibit is CeTrax, which provides electric central drive for traditional drivelines, Hassas underlines that the biggest advantage of this product is that it has a planetary gear group in the output group. Hassas said that; “The advantage of this planetary gear group over our competitors is that the vehicle can perform the application without the need for a high gear ratio axle. Therefore, higher torque is achieved with a lower energy consumption. The engine speed is reduced and it is ensured that the vehicle can go up high ramps and reach sufficient speed at the same time. This is a preferred product not only in our OEM business, but also in the retrofit, that is, the conversion to electric. Moreover, we signed a goodwill agreement with BELKA Inc. in this direction.

“EcoLife Can Be Used Not Only In City Buses But Also In Intercity Coaches”

Referring to the fact that ZF is a technology company, Hassas states that the use of automatic transmission in municipal buses, especially in European countries, for the first time in the late 70s, started with the Ecomat transmission. Stating that there are versions of Ecomat from 1 to 4, Hassas said that; “In the next period, the production of Ecomat was terminated and it was replaced by the EcoLife transmission. The EcoLife transmission had some advantages, such as being quieter and its retarder 40 percent stronger. Thanks to the use of proportional valves and helical gears in this product, which we call soft and proportional, smooth gear shifts are provided. At the end of 2022, EcoLife I will be replaced by the EcoLife II series. The completely redesigned transmission provides up to 3 percent less fuel consumption compared to its previous generation. While the cooler in its body becomes a dual-circuit cooler for the retarder and transmission at the rear, the torque converter becomes a cast body for more durability. Torque, which used to be up to 2,000 Nm, can go up to 2,800 Nm with the EcoLife CoachLine here. This allows EcoLife to be used not only in city buses, but also in coaches. This is an important advantage and has become preferred by many brands.”

“There are Developments in the Field of Security Systems”

Emphasizing that investments are made for security and zero defect day by day, Hassas indicated that ZF has improved itself through mergers or acquisitions with companies active in this field. Hassas said that; “ZF has acquired many leading brands such as WABCO and TRW in recent years. For example, the new Collision Avoidance System (CMS) is a system that is considered in terms of noticing the objects to be encountered in advance, especially in preparation for the driverless vehicle, and providing safety by being involved in situations where the vehicle, even the human, cannot react."

“CDC Used to Make Vehicles More Controlled and Safe”

Emphasizing that SACHS Continuous Damping Control (CDC) is an intelligent shock absorber and that CDC is a system that reduces oscillations and prevents ground vibrations from reaching the passenger cabin at a minimum level and even preventing these vibrations from being transmitted; Hassas said that; “There is a level balancing system especially in municipal buses. If the vehicle is equipped with the WABCO ECAS system, then only integrating the CDC's cable into the ECAS system may be a more suitable solution. However, if a different brand leveling system is used, then it can work alone with some small components by integrating a separate control unit with it. For example, CNG tanks, some of the electric vehicles' batteries and weights are above, such vehicles with a high center of gravity or double-decker vehicles will shake more. Therefore, it is a product used to make vehicles more controlled and safe.”

Ertuğ Özemre, ZF Connection Solutions Russia, India and Middle East Regional Sales Manager:

“APPROXIMATELY 15 THOUSAND VEHICLES IN THE CENTRAL EUROPE, FAR EAST AND SOUTH AMERICA MARKETS ARE CONNECTED TO THE BUS CONNECT SYSTEM”

“OUR MANUFACTURERS IN TURKEY ALSO PREFER OUR SYSTEM FOR THE VEHICLES THEY EXPORT ABROAD”

After listening to the details of ZF's exhibited products and security systems from ZF Services OE Sales Manager Atilla Hassas, Ertuğ Özemre, ZF Connection Solutions Russia, India and Middle East Regional Sales Manager, answers our questions about Bus Connect, another important issue.

Özemre, who started her speech by mentioning that ZF is a company founded on mechanical systems, states that the company has positioned itself as a technology company for a long time, as a requirement of both the age and the technology. Özemre continued his words as follows: “The business unit called Connection Solutions and Digital Services, which was established for this purpose, has a telematics fleet management system product launched under the name Bus Connect. The function of this product can be summarized as the collection of data from the field to the headquarters via the CAN Bus communication line of the buses by means of smart telematics units. Real-time vehicle information and diagnostic data are the information regarding the tracking of a malfunction or damage to the vehicles, or the journey from point A to point B. This may be monitoring of energy, electricity or fuel consumption during travel. In addition, we can collect not only simultaneous, but also historical data. Likewise, we can explain this under the name of the travel book of the vehicle, we can say that all information such as historical travel and driving information and diagnostic data is brought to life through an online page and revealed to us.”

“Bus Connect, A System That Helps Us Take Early Action for Undesirable Situations”

Noting that ZF is always with the vehicle, the driver or the fleet operator, Özemre says that they keep the vehicle under constant surveillance, and during this surveillance, they can carry out some activities to detect and predict some problems experienced in the components. Özemre said that; “Our system can provide advance information by providing warnings. The data we have entered into the system informs us with some warnings that are close to the erosion of the threshold and criteria. Thus, the sub-industry, main manufacturers, fleet customers or end users can take their own preliminary actions and make their own plans accordingly. Vehicle health is of course important; but the most important thing is passenger health. We can also summarize Bus Connect as a system that will prevent or detect larger problems from occurring, and that helps us take early action to prevent undesirable situations.”

“Driving Habits Can Also Be Reported”

Stating that the information they obtained with this system is not only limited to the vehicle, they can also report their driving habits, Özemre said that; “There are too many vehicles in the fleets and maybe more drivers than the number of vehicles. The usage habits of these friends may also change according to their own experience or dynamics. Through our system, we set pre-thresholds with vehicle owners or fleet operators like, for example: 'Warn me when you exceed a certain speed!', 'Warn me when you exceed a certain engine speed!', 'Warn me if the driver maneuvers hard or brakes hard, if the passengers are disturbed by the vehicle!' When these occur, in other words, when a violation occurs, we warn both the driver and the fleet operator or logistics planner at the central level. This warning is like this: We install a small device in the glove box so that the driver can see or hear it… Let's call this device a driver feedback unit. For example, the speed limit has been exceeded, the icon symbolizing the speed limit lights up and at the same time gives a warning with a warning sound. This is registered as a case or violation. We can also see the record of where, when, in which vehicle it happened and by which driver, through the portal in the headquarters. Of course, when there is more than one violation during travels, we have an application that lists all of them. After that, we have a scoring system based on the coefficients of the criteria to be determined. For example, in a fleet of 100 vehicles, we can report how 200 drivers perform during the specified time period.”

“Approximately 15 Thousand Vehicles In The Central European, Far East And South American Markets Are Connected To This System”

Stating that this system serves to bring vehicles and drivers under a standard and discipline, Özemre states that it will contribute to both the health of the vehicle and passengers and the entire ecosystem of this issue in the short and long term. Özemre said that; “Actually, we are providing a kind of optimization. I can say that approximately 15 thousand vehicles are connected to this system abroad, primarily in Europe, Central Europe, Far East and South America. Our manufacturers in Turkey also prefer our system for the vehicles they export abroad, because it is very important and valuable to be with the vehicle and gain information for both their own R&D teams and after-sales teams. In this way, we provide added value to their business.”

“R&D Side is Very Valuable for Us”

Expressing that these data are also very important for them, Özemre states that the system is a constantly living solution and therefore they need to constantly improve themselves. Özemre finally said that; “R&D operations are very valuable not only for manufacturers but also for us. It also provides invaluable information in the development of our own components or examining their performance in the field.”