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ZF eDrive – Modular system for efficient electric vehicles

The electric drive lies at the heart of every battery electric vehicle. With ZF's systems expertise, it beats ultra-efficiently.

ZF systems expertise makes it possible

Electric drive systems and components that sustainably meet the requirements of Next Generation Mobility: ZF eDrive.

Any discussion about the suitability of electric vehicles for daily use tends to focus solely on the battery. Obviously, range is the limiting factor for the acceptance of electric cars. And big batteries mean long ranges. But that comes at a price, in the form of higher costs, heavier vehicles, more required installation space and, in turn, less space for the driver and passengers, not to mention higher costs for mining the required raw materials. Rather than shrinking, the environmental footprint is suddenly growing. It is time to think systematically and to leverage all optimization potential.
At ZF, we start where the energy is consumed, namely the electric drive. And this is not simply just an electric motor. Our latest generation of ultraefficient electric drives are finely tuned systems consisting of an electric motor, an inverter, a reduction gear and the control software, all from a single source, developed and manufactured by ZF.
ZF's unique systems expertise allows for the perfect interaction with efficiencies of over 93% (according to WLTC). Know-how from decades of development and production of electric drives and the experience of well over two million installed ZF electric motors in vehicles around the globe constitute a direct competitive advantage for our customers. For the individual high-power components and for the design and integration of the overall electric drive system.
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96.3 %
Maximum efficiency through innovations and system optimization strategy.

ZF eDrive – Highly integrated electric drives as an overall system from ZF.

Compact. Powerful. Maximum efficiency.

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The ZF eDrive platform

Powerful system features

Only a few OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers offer complete systems in which the key components of the electric motor, inverter and transmission come from a single source and are highly integrated. However, ZF's system solutions stand out consistently with their high performance and flexibility.

  • Full 400/800-volt flexibility: Electric motor and inverter designed to be used in both performance classes
  • Harmonized yet flexible electric motor platform thanks to a rotor swap concept between permanent-field synchronous motor (PSM) and asynchronous motor (ASM)
  • Highly standardized yet fully scalable inverter platform thanks to power modules with chip swap concept for 400-volt silicon or silicon carbide and 800-volt silicon carbide systems
  • Highly flexible overall solution thanks to support for integrating customer-specific components into the overall ZF system
  • Wide application range from 100 kW secondary drives to 300 kW primary drives for use in the C segment to light commercial vehicles
  • Average WLTC efficiency of over 93% for primary drives
  • Low-loss secondary drives with sustainable ASM (asynchronous motor) technology: Permanent-magnet technologies and disconnect solutions are no longer required for most applications
  • Powerful ASM control unit enables torque transmission from standstill in under 20 ms
  • Modular application software

ZF eDrive components and services

Each and every one a superstar. Even better as a team.

ZF's eDrive platform consists of four main components: The electric motor, the inverter, a reduction gear and the software. This basic framework is the result of our system approach. The classic approach looks for components and from these tries to build a system that is as harmonious as possible. At ZF, we first define the system with all its requirements and then break these down into the required components. This creates ultraefficient systems with optimized components.

We can do this because we have built up over decades the system knowledge required for drives. And the market proves us right: Our development strategy is rewarded with the largest order book for electric drive systems anywhere in the world today.

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Electric motor

ZF electric motors are based on a modular system with a common electromagnetic design for the stator and an ASM, PSM or SESM design for the rotor. Power classes range from 75 to 550 kW for architectures with 400, 800 and over 1,000 volts. Electric motors from ZF set standards in terms of power, efficiency and sustainability.

Electric Axle Drive
Sustainability
Efficiency
Power
Sustainability

Sustainability

To improve the eco-balance of electric motors, ZF already starts with design: It is developed with sustainability in mind, so that the electric motor lasts a lifetime or can be repaired. In production, ZF can already dispense with the use of heavy rare earth elements for permanently magnetized electric motors. In addition, ZF has electric motors in its portfolio that completely dispense with magnets and, thanks to their compactness, rely on fewer raw materials.

Efficiency

Efficiency

The electric motors stand out with their efficiency. ZF essentially improves this characteristic using innovative cooling concepts and improved winding technologies, including hairpin in particular, and the patented braided winding technology, ZF's own refinement of the wave winding. In this way, ZF achieves an efficiency of 96% (WLTP) and 97.5% at the best point.

Power

Power

ZF delivers the outstanding performance of its electric motors through maximum integration and patented innovations in cooling and winding. For example, the electric motors provide up to 85% of peak output at continuous power.

Inverter

Our volume-production product solutions include 400- and 800-volt inverters and semiconductors with silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) designs, insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). With our experience and expertise, we can react quickly and flexibly and offer the most efficient solution for all customer requirements.

ZF inverter for 400 and 800 V applications
Flexible design
High efficiency
Future-proof solution
Flexible design

Flexible design

Our inverters with discrete power modules offer striking advantages:

  • Scalability at housing level allows us to adapt the output current of the inverter flexibly to customer requirements.
  • The identical housing design enables the reuse of the basic inverter design.
  • Component standardization ensures synergies, e.g., with regard to production lines.
High efficiency

High efficiency

The fourth generation of our discrete quad package (DQP) constantly improves our basic technology and adds more chip space to the same package. This approach allows us to address today's demanding requirements and the trend toward higher power-to-weight ratio and significant weight reduction while maintaining the flexibility our customers demand worldwide.

Future-proof solution

Future-proof solution

Our compelling inverter platform enables the integration of existing technologies while offering customers full flexibility to include future updates with only minimal changes.

Reduction gear unit

An excellent reduction gear is still no guarantee of a first-class electric drive, but it is an essential component, nonetheless. The vehicle's requirements for the overall system, e.g., driving performance and efficiency, can only be optimally fulfilled with perfectly harmonized components and a transmission ratio tailored to the characteristics of the electric motor and inverter.

Reduction gear unit in ZF electric drive for passenger cars
Efficiency driver
Innovative design
Versatile
Efficiency driver

Efficiency driver

The set of components consisting of gears and differential only ensures a high power-to-weight ratio and lower drive losses when all components are optimally matched. This includes efficiency-optimized gearing, the use of low-friction bearing concepts and an overall optimized design (in relation to oil churning losses) with dry-sump lubrication for example, while minimizing dead weight. At the same time, we require first-class transmission behavior to meet the high demands placed on acoustic and vibration behavior, NVH for short.

Innovative design

Innovative design

Weight and space savings are constant challenges when designing electric axle drives. Our coaxial reduction gear, for example, is a perfect solution with integrated differential function. Our many years of experience with stacked planetary gearsets allows us to deliver an ultra-compact, lightweight design that offers NVH behavior and efficiency equal to or better than that of conventional offset designs.

Versatile

Versatile

Electric drives rely on high-precision reduction gears to bring their power onto the road efficiently, lossless, and quietly. Here, ZF has outstanding expertise. An e-reduction drive system can be integrated into the electric drive’s housing as a component set or docked to the electric motor as a stand-alone solution, in its own housing. Both paths are scalable and can be displayed in axially parallel or coaxial configuration. Additional features, such as a parking lock, a 2-speed transmission solution, and the eConnect decoupling system, which switches on or decouples a second drive can be integrated.

Software

Software is also the key to electric drives, both in terms of functionality and implementation. ZF has modularly designed its software for the electric driveline so it can serve each individual customer flexibly, quickly and cost-effectively. At the same time, AI-assisted software individually optimizes the driving experience.

ZF Software 4 Powertrain
Ride comfort
Efficiency
Modularity
Ride comfort

Ride comfort

ZF software delivers a drive that is always perfectly matched to the driver's behavior in any driving situation. The software is based on the predicted consumption profile, which ensures intelligent system management and helps drivers meet their efficiency and comfort expectations.

Efficiency

Efficiency

Our software is designed to improve efficiency. For this purpose, it uses different sources during operation, such as the actual state of charge, the GPS position, ride height, speed, acceleration, power of the electric motor and the extended prediction of the drive profile.

But even during development, the ZF software makes an important contribution to increasing efficiency. Smart functions such as active current shaping or the intelligent control frequency simplify the system hardware and so contribute directly to system optimization.

Modularity

Modularity

The software kit with multi-customer approach leads to quick adaptation and efficient costs. It offers a high degree of flexibility in the choice of equipment and individualization for each vehicle. The kit also makes it easy to combine OEM software and ZF software for all electric drive solutions independently of a ZF electric drive.

Maximum customer value

ZF electric drives

The ZF eDrive platform as the ideal basis for customer-specific solutions

An overall system is good if it reduces complexity and harmonizes the subsystems. It is perfect if it is also flexible enough to support the development of customized solutions. This is precisely where ZF's platform for electric drives comes into its own.

Our modular system follows three design tracks: Cost-conscious, range-optimized, performance-oriented.

Taking into account different degrees of freedom, each of these tracks leads to system configurations that reliably represent more than 80% of a specific customer request. And they are so flexible that we can go the last mile of optimization together with our customers. The advantages are patently obvious. With individual endpoints, our customers always benefit from short, cost-effective project times and fast volume-production start. Worldwide, fast and ubiquitous. After all, one thing is clear with all modular system thinking: Every market, every customer and every project has its own requirements. Flexibility is a key to success.

Sustainability

At ZF, we are committed to sustainable action - for our products as well as in our production. The Climate Neutrality 2040 project and participations such as in the Polestar Zero project demonstrate our commitment.

All about sustainability at ZF

ZF People

People are our greatest treasure. Worldwide. That's why we want to be the Employer of Choice, where people meet with respect, reliability and in a deep partnership.

All about Human Ressources at ZF

Global footprint

ZF is at home worldwide, always close to its customers.

All about ZF's worldwide locations