Lightweight
Slimming down the
automobile
With each generation, cars have become safer, more comfortable and more dynamic – but also heavier. In the future, car design will focus trimming the weight back down. ZF manages to reduce the weight of passenger car chassis with functional integration and elaborate material use for design/engineering.
Lightweight Requires Rethinking
Fewer pounds reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. ZF focuses on weight optimization in driveline and chassis technology. Besides direct weight reduction, smaller unsprung masses also improve driving comfort. A light chassis indirectly influences the rest of the vehicle. Smaller-sized engines, for example, now achieve the same performance, and “downsizing” is a possibility.
There are many ways to reduce weight in the chassis: An optimized construction frame minimizes the material costs. By integrating multiple functions into one component, design complexity and hence weight can be cut back. Alternative materials, such as fiberglass, lighten the chassis even more. To realize the full potential of lightweight materials, comprehensive know-how is necessary: New approaches to materials development have to be accompanied by constructive redesign of entire assemblies. Intelligent lightweight construction is the ultimate combination of all the various measures at ZF.
