Transmission Giant ZF Debuts Modular eDrive System – Coming 2022
By Edward A. Sanchez – Sept. 7, 2021
Every now and then, there are developments in the automotive industry that ultimately have tectonic implications that are only fully seen in retrospect. ZF’s introduction of its Modular eDrive Kit system may be one of them. ZF’s position as one of the top Tier 1 automotive drivetrain suppliers, and widely recognized as having one of the best and most advanced automatic transmissions on the market, means that the company has a large and eager customer base that would be very receptive to the company’s offerings for an electrified drivetrain.
ZF claims this modular approach can cut development time for EV drive systems by as much as 50%, by enabling a plug-and-play approach to using its electric motors. And its solutions can be applied to pretty much any vehicle or price point, with applications from 75 kW (101 hp) to 400 kW (536 hp), and torque output up to 544 Nm (401 lb-ft). ZF will offer three power classes, as well as higher and lower-power solutions for premium (800V SiC) and mass market (400V) applications.
ZF claims Modular eDrive Kit drivetrains will go into volume production starting in fall 2022.
As a complement to the Modular eDrive Kit system, ZF is also offering its eConnect system for all-wheel-drive applications. ZF says this system is “space neutral” (longitudinal/transverse?) and leaves the secondary drive motor and axle uncoupled to reduce driveline drag, but can activate within milliseconds if traction is needed. ZF also claims this solution is 2% more efficient than any comparable system already on the market.
These solutions can also be coupled with ZF’s ACCnext adaptive cruise control technology, that uses topographical and route information from live navigation to optimize efficiency.
Where Could We See Them?
While many models use a version of ZF’s well-regarded 8HP automatic transmission, including multiple VW Group, BMW, and Stellantis models, from a volume standpoint, Stellantis is probably one of the largest, certainly for the North American market, where almost every light-duty truck and SUV employs a ZF transmission, whether with the 8HP (dubbed the Torqueflite 8 for FCA/Stellantis models), or the 9HP in transverse models. The higher-powered variants of the Modular eDrive Kit could see their way into the electric versions of the Dodge Charger/Challenger.
Doubling up on the Modular eDrive’s 400 kW (536 hp) systems could yield a cumulative output of over 1,000 hp, likely enough to dry the tears of those mourning the passing of the Hellcat supercharged Hemi.
ZF and Stellantis have a long-established relationship, with Stellantis building the 8HP under license in Kokomo, Ind., for its longitudinal applications since 2013. So don’t be surprised to see ZF play a major role in Stellantis’s “eMuscle” initiative.
(Images courtesy ZF)
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