ZF To Begin Production Of CeTrax E-Drive

ZF announced that it will begin volume production of its CeTrax electric drive system for buses in the third quarter. The new units will be manufactured at the company’s Friedrichshafen, Germany, facilities.

“The start of series production of the electric central drive for buses illustrates the pioneering position ZF is taking in electrification,” said Dr. Andreas Grossl, responsible for Axle and Transmission Systems for Buses and Coaches at ZF. “CeTrax is another building block on the way to emission-free public transport, which ZF supports to the best of its ability. Winning over bus manufacturers with a market entry electric drive shows that we are on the right track with our strategy”.

ZF designed CeTrax for bus applications and initially presented it in a ZF test vehicle in 2017. The design of the drive is based on a plug-and-drive approach. CeTrax can be easily installed in vehicles with a conventional driveline layout, the company said, and like its other electric drives, CeTrax can be operated via battery, trolley system, supercapacitors or in a fuel cell configuration.

It can be used in new platforms as well as retrofit of existing vehicles, ZF said, allowing vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators to respond flexibly to market requirements and legal regulations. Convinced of the numerous product advantages, the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris will source CeTrax to power the new Urbino 15 LE electric model. Further customer launches are in preparation, ZF said.