Commercial Vehicle Solutions
zf.com
OptiDrive OptiDrive
Commercial Vehicles

Maximize fuel efficiency, driver productivity and uptime with OptiDriveTM

Did you know ZF was the first to enter the global market with its Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology solution, OptiDriveTM , for commercial vehicles in 1986? Since then, the solution has undergone several advancements to cater to the growing needs of commercial vehicles.

Over 5 million units of OptiDrive™ AMT have been sold since its launch. The advanced technology solution has, thus, stood the test of time to maximize fuel efficiency, vehicle uptime and driver productivity.

In today’s context, fleet management and its routine operations is complex due to the perpetual increase in fuel prices and shortage of skilled drivers. ZF’s OptiDrive™ provides a range of benefits including greater safety, lowers TCO, maximizes driver productivity and improves fuel efficiency.

OptiDrive™ is an award-winning modular transmission automation technology solution that can be easily adapted to a wide range of commercial vehicle platforms. It is a complete AMT technology that comes with hardware and shifting algorithms.

The solution automatically engages the clutch and gear shift actuation for medium and heavy commercial vehicles. It offers automatic and manual gear shifting modes and selects the most suitable gear and completes gear-shifting according to engine speed, thus, achieving maximum fuel efficiency and driver productivity. It optimizes clutch and gear actuations reducing wear of mechanical components of vehicles, thereby lowering maintenance costs.

driver productivity

Maximize driver productivity

OptiDrive’s autonomous clutching saves the driver from manual operation, thereby maximizing productivity. The globally proven solution provides absolute autonomy from gear shifting and clutching which offers driver comfort and efficiency. It lets drivers focus on the road thereby increasing productivity and addressing driver fatigue. The technology empowers drivers with varied skilled levels and enables them to drive with greater confidence.
lower TCO

Lower TCO and improve vehicle uptime

OptiDriveTM improves reduces wear on clutch and other transmission components, resulting in lower maintenance costs over the vehicle’s lifetime. The technology, thus, creates lesser scope for unplanned repairs and maximizes vehicle uptime. It offers the convenience and advantage of clutchless operation as in the case of Automated Transmission (AT).
fuel efficiency

Maximize fuel efficiency

OptiDrive™ offers optimized driving modes to achieve fuel economy up to 5% for trucks and buses while operating in congested city traffic conditions as well as on long hauls. It has additional operating modes (economy, power and crawl) making it suitable for different terrains, weather conditions and situations. Drivers can switch between modes by simply adjusting a knob to switch to the desired mode.
  • Economy - Suitable for operating in common roads such as expressway and flat roads.
  • Power - Suitable for mountainous areas or when the vehicle is carrying a heavy load
  • Crawl - Suitable for heavy load or steep slopes

Technical features and components of OptiDrive™

software

  • Available as standardized, complete system including hardware and software to allow automation of manual transmissions
  • Software algorithm provides optimized real-time gear shift strategy
modular design

  • Easily adapts to a wide range of manual gearboxes through innovative modularity
  • Seamlessly integrates with CV industry’s hybrid drives
safety

  • Interacts with other control systems like ABS or ESC to improve vehicle safety

Benefits to fleets

lower tco

Reduces maintenance costs and maximizes vehicle uptime by lowering mechanical wear & tear
minimize driver fatigue

  • Minimizes driver fatigue by releasing driver from clutch and shift operations
  • Improves driver effectiveness across all levels of experience
minimize driver fatigue

Enables comfortable, smoother and safer driving to ensure cargo delivery on time
save-fuel

Achieves up to 5% fuel savings compared to manual transmission
driver retention

Simplified vehicle handling aids driver recruitment and retention

Benefits to OEMs

truck

Applies to different vehicle platforms light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
time to market

System’s flexibility shortens time-to-market by up to 40%
cost reduction

Reduces development cost by more than 80% compared to a customized AMT solution
minimize driver fatigue

Enables comfortable, smoother and safer driving to ensure cargo delivery on time
service

Experienced application engineers support customers from concept to serial production
driver retention

Simplified vehicle handling aids driver recruitment and retention
software

Offers unique calibration tool myOptiDrive™ to tailor system performance to specific customer preferences
environment

Leaves an environmentally cleaner footprint

With over 5 million vehicles fitted with OptiDrive™ units across the world, ZF’s AMT technology solution has a strong and long-standing history of success. With a host of benefits, OptiDrive™ offers the ideal solution for fleet businesses. The advanced technology solution helps to maximize driver comfort & productivity, reduce driver fatigue, improves vehicle uptime and lowers total cost of ownership.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact our product experts to learn how ZF’s OptiDriveTM can support your business needs.