ZF CeTrax lite: Thousandth Drive for E-Trucks - First Customer Isuzu Sees High Demand

Exactly one year ago, the commercial vehicle division (Commercial Vehicle Solutions; CVS) of the Friedrichshafen automotive supplier ZF started series production of its first pure electric central drive for vans and light trucks up to 7.5 tons, the CeTrax lite. The manufacturer can already report a production of a thousand units. According to the press release, the high demand for the light distribution trucks "ELF EV" from the Japanese customer Isuzu has boosted the ramp-up.

Highly Demanded Electric Central Drives for Light and Heavy Trucks

ZF already develops and produces a range of electric components for heavier commercial vehicles, including the AxTrax axle drive, which was introduced in its latest generation mid-last year. In 2020, the technology group announced a "technology-open" E-drive modular system for heavy trucks and buses. The CeTrax product line was developed as an electric central drive for commercial vehicles.

As the "big brother" of the CeTrax lite, CeTrax serves as an additional electric central drive for buses and trucks with conventional powertrain arrangement and is intended to reduce emissions in demanding urban applications. The component, which went into series production in 2020 and is also manufactured at ZF's headquarters in Friedrichshafen, is said to be in just as high demand as the CeTrax lite. Mainly used in buses, this component is ordered primarily by customers from Korea, the USA, Australia, and Europe. According to the provider, the product has already proven itself worldwide in the "challenging everyday public transport" due to its resilience and reliability.

CeTrax 2 dual in the Pipeline

Thus, the group is meeting the demand by manufacturing the new electric model CeTrax 2 dual, which according to its own statements is expected to start this year, 2024. The predecessor CeTrax 2 is primarily intended for construction vehicles. At the end of October 2022, ZF wrote that the electric central drive for heavy-duty trucks could move construction vehicles up to 44 tons total weight "efficiently, comfortably, and locally emission-free" and as a modular drive system, it should "accelerate the development, coordination, and approval of new construction vehicles."

CeTrax 2 dual now also serves more demanding tasks, such as use in heavy trucks and buses, fitting "seamlessly" into the transmission space of a combustion engine vehicle and giving manufacturers the opportunity to offer commercial vehicles on a single vehicle platform either with conventional, that is, combustion-based or electric drive. The model is designed to integrate modular and self-developed components such as electric motors, inverters, ECU (Electronic Control Unit), E-actuators, and transmissions into an "innovative one-box solution" - according to the manufacturer, a compact system with low weight and high performance.

ZF offers this component complex for both heavy trucks and various bus applications such as solo, articulated, and touring buses in low-floor and high-floor configurations. The system contains two Hairpin-type electric motors with a continuous power of 380 kW. A 3-speed transmission with 2 E-actuators is intended to optimize the efficiency of the electric powertrain.

Implementation without much Effort

The special feature of the CeTrax concept lies in the fact that the purely electric central drives can electrify the existing commercial vehicle platforms. This saves manufacturers from excessive development effort for a purely electric vehicle portfolio, as ZF points out. The "large" CeTrax is primarily suitable for manufacturers of city buses, but also special vehicles in ports and logistics centers. In contrast, the CeTrax lite is aimed at smaller delivery trucks or special vehicles for the "last mile": since there are inner-city environmental zones, they must anyway "drive locally emissions-free." According to ZF, a passenger car electric motor with a peak power of 150 kW served as the technical basis for the development. The demo truck was tested in Yokohama, Japan.

As a purely electric drive, the 120-kilogram "heavy" CeTrax lite achieves a peak power of 150 kW and a torque of 1,500 Nm. The component is centrally located in the vehicle frame at the place where the conventional transmission would normally be in a conventional "combustion engine" truck. The first customer is the Japanese passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturer Isuzu, based in Tokyo, which produces both diesel-powered and electric vehicles. Since October 2023, the company has been delivering its Elf EV vehicles with CeTrax lite to customers worldwide.

The ELF light truck was originally developed by Isuzu in 1959, with a payload of two tons. The truck became a long-term success and, according to the company, remains the market leader in the light commercial vehicle segment in Japan to this day. Today, the product has a gross weight of up to 7.5 tons and has been manufactured since 2023 in its seventh generation. In the same year, the purely electric version, ELF EV, was introduced as the flagship product for the first use of CeTrax lite.

Promoting Pure Electric and Locally Emission-Free Delivery Traffic

The high demand at Isuzu is now also fueling production at the technology provider in Friedrichshafen. According to reports, the customer base for the electric central drive will expand to the European and US markets this year. The solution has hit the mark with market requirements, says Kleber Vinhas, site manager of the ZF factory in Friedrichshafen:

"CeTrax lite is on its way to becoming a worldwide success product and is promoting pure electric and locally emission-free delivery traffic."

At the same time, further series launches are being prepared: the next one being the aforementioned CeTrax 2 dual as an electric central drive for heavy commercial vehicles.