At a Glance

2008/11/06 ZF Celebrates Two-Millionth Ecosplit Transmission

• Manual commercial vehicle transmission by ZF is still in great demand
• High economy due to durability and operating comfort
• Manual transmission family of Ecosplit, Ecomid, and Ecolite covers almost all commercial vehicle classes

At the beginning of November 2008, ZF celebrated the production of the 2-millionth Ecosplit transmission. The manual transmission for commercial vehicles is one of the product highlights of the ZF Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology division at the ZF location in Friedrichshafen. Every year, 175,000 Ecosplit units are produced which are mainly applied in heavy trucks used for long-distance transport. Starting from the beginning of 2009, a 12-speed variant of the Ecosplit, which has been adapted to the wide torque range of modern commercial vehicles will go into production.

"Manual transmissions of the Ecosplit family are a traditional ZF product which makes commercial vehicles more economical. And, for this reason, it is still in great demand on the market", said Rolf Lutz, Group Executive of the ZF Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology division on the occasion of the anniversary. Production figures have clearly shown that the globally successful Ecosplit transmission is still an important product for ZF. Volume production of the manual transmission with 16 gears started in 1979; in 2000, the 1-millionth Ecosplit transmission rolled off the line. The transmission is used in a variety of vehicles, such as MAN TGX, DAF XF and Iveco Stralis.

Since the start of production, ZF has always made sure that the manual transmission is state-of-the-art; so far, three generations of the 16-speed variant have been manufactured. Next year, an additional Ecosplit model range with 12 gears will go into production, which has been adapted to the wide torque range of modern commercial vehicles and which will improve the payload thanks to the weight advantage. In addition to the Ecosplit, ZF has launched an entire family of manual transmissions on the market, which covers almost all commercial vehicle classes: Ecomid, the manual transmission with 9 gears (annual production in 2008 approx. 60,000 units) is suited for medium trucks in delivery traffic with a torque of up to 1,300 Nm; Ecolite, the 6-speed transmission, of which ZF produced 50,000 units in 2008, is produced for light commercial vehicles with a torque between 500 and 1,050 Nm.

All manual commercial vehicles by ZF have proven to be most successful in practical use. They are characterized by economy and simple handling. Servoshift, the pneumatic shifting assistance, provides for additional shifting comfort with the Ecosplit and Ecomid transmissions: It ensures short shift travels and minimum effort at the same time.

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