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ZF TraXon debuts in the bus market in Brazil with a pioneering application to reduce environmental impacts and maintenance costs

Written by Corporate
Published 03/11/2022 às 12:33
ZF TraXon debuts in the bus market in Brazil with a pioneering application to reduce maintenance costs and reduce environmental impacts
Image source: ZM

ZF adds yet another option to its portfolio of transmissions for transporting people. As of the second half of 2022, the company started production of the TraXon for use on intercity buses in Brazil.

This was the first time ZF applied TraXon to buses worldwide. The transmission has been produced at the Sorocaba plant, in São Paulo (SP), since 2020, for the truck market. For production aimed at the bus market, ZF uses the same existing production line.

“The TraXon transmission is considered the newest generation of automated transmissions ever introduced in the country and also the most competitive within the ZF portfolio”, says Silvio Furtado, Director of Solutions for Commercial Vehicles and Industrial Technology at ZF South America. Currently, around three thousand units of these transmissions are produced per month. The trend is towards modernization and we believe that there will be an increasing demand from automakers for more innovative, safe and environmentally friendly systems and equipment.

“It is a technology already recognized in the truck market and its attributes of efficiency, reduction in fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs, comfort for the driver, in addition to safety, also make it ideal for the configuration of interstate transport of long distances, characteristics of the road bus market in the country”, he says.

According to the executive, the safety index increases even more with the use of Intarder 3 integrated to TraXon, an imported item offered by ZF as an option for this application. “The customer sees the benefit of using this integrated component, due to less wear on the brake system”, explains Silvio Furtado.

With it, the braking efficiency increases and the wear condition of the pads and discs are lower. That's because it acts as a retarder. The component reduces the use of brakes by up to 90%, thus ensuring fuel savings, greater safety and a significant reduction in maintenance costs.

Intarder 3 will contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions

In addition to extending the useful life of the brakes, Intarder 3 contributes significantly to reducing the emission of particles into the environment, considering that items such as linings or discs, when intensively used, release millions of particles into the atmosphere. “It is a system that reduces environmental impacts and, likewise, maintenance costs”, comments the executive.

The Intarder 3 is still considered the lightest of its class on the market, in addition to being the most robust and being among the most powerful. The equipment generates power of up to 600KW to act as a speed reducer until the vehicle comes to a complete stop.

Due to the configuration of the buses, the application of the retarder differs from the trucks only physically in the heat exchanger, which is installed on the opposite side of the trucks. The first generation Intarder was developed in 1992 by ZF. Since then, it has undergone improvements and in 2006 the third generation was launched. The equipment is used on a large scale in premium trucks manufactured on all continents.

The transmission calibration development for highway buses also resembles the TraXon for trucks, which brings ideal comfort ratio for long distance driving. In the specific case of buses, the optional “start-stop” function, for example, reduces fuel consumption, as a way of meeting the current trend of working with the engine and transmission at the lowest permissible speeds, which helps to more efficient and cost-effective operation. Customers can also benefit from the fact that the TraXon transmission software allows calibration for a variety of engines with different characteristics.

As with automatic transmissions for buses, the automated TraXon also does not have a clutch pedal and its driving is simple and intuitive, with efficient communication, thanks to the on-board safety attributes it has.

About ZF

ZF is a global technology company providing systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, promoting next-generation mobility. ZF enables vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving Regime and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive product and software solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and new and emerging transport and mobility service providers.

ZF electrifies a wide variety of vehicles. With its products, the company contributes to the reduction of emissions, protecting the climate and improving mobility safety.

With around 157.500 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €38,3 billion in fiscal 2021. The company operates 188 production sites in 31 countries.

For more information access: ZF.com

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CPG Corporate Reports is intended for news about events, projects and announcements from companies in Brazil and the world!

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