ZF TraXon Launches in the Bus Market in Brazil With Pioneering Application for Reducing Environmental Impact and Maintenance Costs

ZF Adds Another Option to Its Portfolio of Transmissions for Transporting People. Starting in the Second Half of 2022, the Company Began Production of TraXon for Application in Coach Buses in Brazil.

This was the first time that ZF applied TraXon in 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 production line already in place.

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

“This is a technology already recognized in the truck market, and its attributes of efficiency, reduced fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs, comfort for the driver, as well as safety, make it ideal for the configuration of interstate transportation over long distances, which are characteristics of the coach bus market in the country,” he states.

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

With it, the braking efficiency increases, and the wear condition of the brake pads and discs is minimized. This is because it acts as a retarder. The component reduces brake usage by up to 90%, thus ensuring fuel savings, greater safety, and significant reductions in maintenance costs.

Intarder 3 Will Help Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

In addition to extending the lifespan of the brakes, the Intarder 3 significantly contributes to reducing the emission of particles into the environment, considering that items such as linings or discs, when heavily used, release millions of particles into the atmosphere. “It’s a system that reduces environmental impacts and, at the same time, maintenance costs,” comments the executive.

The Intarder 3 is also considered the lightest in its class in the market, in addition to being the most robust and among the most powerful. The equipment generates up to 600KW of power 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 that of trucks only physically in the heat exchanger, which is installed on the opposite side compared to trucks. The first generation of the Intarder was developed in 1992 by ZF. Since then, it has undergone improvements, and in 2006, the third generation was launched. The equipment is widely used in premium trucks manufactured on all continents.

The development of calibration for the transmission for coach buses also resembles that of TraXon for trucks, providing the ideal comfort for long-distance driving. In the specific case of buses, the optional “start-stop” function, for example, reduces fuel consumption as a way to meet the current trend of operating the engine and transmission at the lowest permissible RPMs, which contributes to a more efficient and economical 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 lacks a clutch pedal, and its operation is simple and intuitive, with efficient communication thanks to the safety features it has.

About ZF

ZF is a global technology company that provides systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology, promoting the mobility of the next generation. ZF enables vehicles to see, think, and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving Mode, 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 safety in mobility.

With approximately 157,500 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €38.3 billion in the fiscal year 2021. The company operates 188 production sites in 31 countries.

For more information, visit: ZF.com