CES 2022 automotive recap: ZF’s autonomous mobility

The Germany-based ZF (or ‘Zahnradfabrik’, which translates to ‘gear factory’ in English), a global technology company that supplies systems for automotive and industrial technology, was represented online at CES 2022 by Dr Martin Fischer, a member of the Board of Management at ZF.

The presentation had a few main automotive focuses, as Dr Fischer explains (bold text added): “Number one is e-mobility and how we are going to generate more efficiency to the mobility products; number two is the software-defined vehicle and how that really engages in different levels of software; [and] number three is … an update on ZF’s autonomous shuttle business.”

The next points in this article will recap some of Fischer’s discussion of those three areas of automotive technology.

E-mobility

“E-mobility,” explains Dr Martin Fischer, “is definitely on a fast track for ZF and we are transforming that area very much from our transmissions to all sorts of electrified life”. The board member at ZF went on to say that the company has benefited from its early development of ‘hybrid transmissions’, namely the drivetrain system to power hybrid vehicles.

“The next step … is about gaining additional efficiency for these [hybrid vehicle technologies] and lowering the cost. So the inverter is really the centrepiece of it, and that's what we are working on. The inverter transforms energy from the motor to the battery and vice versa. And that's where we still have good room for improvement when it comes to efficiency.”

He goes on to explain that software is the key to achieving such efficiency, as well as a strong understanding of semiconductors.

Software-defined vehicles

“By now,” says Fischer, “it’s really well acknowledged by the industry that software defines the future and is a really strong value driver”. He continues by explaining that ZF “touches all levels of software in [its] activities, from operating systems to middleware, to vehicle-level functions – up to entire mobility solutions.”

With this in mind, Dr Fischer then introduces ZF’s key example of a software-defined vehicle: its autonomous shutte.

ZF’s autonomous shuttle

ZF’s autonomous shuttle, known as its E-Shuttle, is described by Dr Fischer as “truly a ‘lighthouse project’ when it comes to new technology”.

“The ‘virtual driver’ uses a piece of software that manoeuvres the shuttle either in dedicated lanes or for mixed traffic operations.” Fischer goes on to explain that the shuttle achieves Level 4 in autonomous driving and uses middleware: “the best possible” approach to “bringing software to different electronics platforms for different computers … that allows the functions to move from different controllers so that [ZF] doesn’t have to start the development from scratch”.

As Dr Fisher explains, the virtual driver “gets better and better through a cloud connection” to its surrounding infrastructure. “Knowing what [to do at] the next traffic light … is going to help the virtual driver to perform – or even more broadly, if we have smart cities that control the entire traffic flow, we can give good advice to the shuttle about which routes to take or not take.”

Dr Martin Fischer continues to explain how users’ smartphones can be used to monitor areas such as the shuttles’ arrival times as well as the occupancy of the vehicles.

More on ZF and its automotive partnerships

ZF's presentation ultimately sees the introduction of a special guest: Le Thi Thu Thuy (aka Madam Thuy), the CEO of automotive manufacturer Vinfast (a subsidiary of Vietnam-based conglomerate Vingroup), who discusses Vinfast’s aims following its collaboration with ZF in 2019: “We’re very happy to be working with ZF,” says Madam Thuy. “Our mission is to help the world make the switch to cleaner, more sustainable electric vehicles … The future is fully electric and automated as we seek to protect our environment by providing transportation that offers safety and efficiency.”

More information about ZF’s research and development can be found by looking up its North American markets, as well as its partnerships with Oceaneering International and Vinfast.

ZF’s original CES 2022 video presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAgva8V_fgg