ZF has surpassed three million units in its electric motor production. These motors are utilized in a variety of electric vehicles around the world, ranging from fully electric passenger cars and plug-in hybrids to commercial vehicle drives. This achievement marks a notable shift away from reliance on traditional combustion engines and underscores ZF’s commitment to advancing electromobility, the company said.
Roland Hintringer, head of the electric motors product line at ZF, highlighted the rapid growth in the company’s production capacity. “Within just 18 months, ZF has doubled electric motor production from just under one and a half million to three million,” Hintringer said. He attributed this growth to ZF’s highly automated, volume-flexible, and modular systems, which enable the company to meet the increasing global demand.
ZF is also focusing on innovation to enhance the efficiency and range of electric vehicles. The company is developing the magnetic-free electric motor I²SM, a separately excited synchronous machine with inductive energy transfer. This motor is distinguished by its compactness, high power, and torque density. Additionally, ZF’s recent EVSys800 electric drive prototype demonstrates potential efficiency improvements. It is 35% lighter than current electric drives and reduces CO2 emissions in production and operation by 20%. Advances such as innovative stator winding technologies, a new cooling concept, and compact design contribute to these improvements.
To meet the growing demand for electric motors, ZF has established production facilities across the globe. These include locations in Asia and Europe, with new facilities being set up in North America. ZF’s production sites are strategically located in key automotive markets, including Hangzhou and Shenyang in China, Pančevo in Serbia, Schweinfurt in Germany, Trnava in Slovakia, Saltillo in Mexico and Gray Court, South Carolina in the US. The company is expanding the capacities of these facilities to better support its customers’ sustainability and climate protection goals, ZF said.
