Page 17 - Newcom

ZF pledges to invest big bucks in electric and autonomous technologies
By Sonia Straface
HANNOVER, GERMANY
ZF announced at the IAA truck show that is planning to invest €12 billion in e-mobility and autono- mous driving in the next five years.
According to Wolf-Henning Scheider, CEO of ZF Freidrichshafen, modern day logistics is at a tipping point, and ZF’s focus is how to make logistics and transportation more efficient and cleaner.
“Our approach is called Smart Logistics,” he explained, saying the company has bundled its tech- nologies through automation, net- working, and electrification and has created attractive solutions for the complete logistics chain.
He turned to ZF’s latest technol- ogies – its Innovation Truck and its Terminal Yard tractor to show how ZF is part of the transportation solu- tion. Both vehicles have the ability to autonomously maneuver trail- ers and containers without a driver. These vehicles both improve effi- ciency, and help address the grow- ing shortage of qualified drivers, Scheider added.
“Driverless transport vehicles and automated functions will play a sig- nificant role, particularly in zoned areas like company terminal yards, forwarding company depots, or air and sea ports,” he said. “In the near future, we will be seeing more
autonomous vehicles in such zoned areas faster than on public roads. The cost, safety, and efficiency ben- efits for customers will make a dif- ference here.”
Scheider also said he anticipates transportation will once again be in the spotlight this coming December as more people order packages and parcels online for the holidays.
“Last-mile deliveries are an urgent problem for logistics, especially the deliveries for packages and parcels,” he said. “People want them delivered flexibly and quickly.”
As such, he said ZF has turned its attention to the importance of last- mile delivery solutions through its Innovation Van. The van combines autonomous driving and an all-elec- tric drivetrain to help make parcel deliveries an easy task in residential and city center areas.
The van is equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving functions, and can drive through cities effortlessly as it can detect lane markings, rec- ognize traffic lights and road signs, and avoid obstacles. There’s also a FollowMe function, which utilizes a tablet-based remote control and is particularly helpful for drivers. If two addresses are close enough that it makes more sense for the delivery driver to stay on foot, the Innovation Van will follow the driver as if on a virtual leash, avoiding detouring and double parking.
ZF pledged to spend €12 billion in e-mobility and autonomous technology at the IAA show in Hannover, Germany on Sept. 19.
“It’s really a revolution for last- mile deliveries,” Scheider said, add- ing customers are already interested
in the van. “Efficiency is number one for customers. If you have more time for the driver or operator to take care of other logistics tasks, like dispatching or organizing, that is immediately a business case for cus- tomers.”
Scheider added that today, ZF equips all of types of commercial vehicles – from vans, to buses, to heavy cargo trucks, with electric drives. In heavy-duty applications, all-electric maneuvering can offer a potential fuel savings of 5-7%.
“ZF wants to make transporta- tion clean and smart,” he said. “And with these technologies, we are able to solve transportation problems worldwide.” TN
Navistar already benefiting from Traton alliance
HANNOVER, GERMANY
Navistar is already realizing the ben- efits of extra purchasing power made possible through a 17% equity stake secured by Volkswagen Truck and Bus – recently rebranded as Traton Group.
A related joint venture for pro- curement activities offered the busi- ness access to a bigger scale, Navis- tar president and CEO Troy Clarke said during the IAA truck show. There have also been opportunities to licence technology and participate in related research and development.
A Traton-developed powertrain is in the works for use in Navistar trucks, and is expected in 2021.
“We were the first alliance partner of what is now Traton, and that was a multi-year journey,” said Clarke. “At the end of the day, (chief executive officer) Andreas Renschler and lead- ership at Traton said this is a com- pany that has more good days ahead of it than bad days ahead of it.”
There were certainly some chal- lenges, but Navistar is now enjoy-
ing black ink in its business ledgers. The business has improved its EBITDA six years in a row, and is now making net income rather than recording losses. “It’s really been, financially, on a good path,” said exec- utive vice-president and chief finan-
cial officer Walter Borst.
Through shared procurement the
companies expect to save $500 mil- lion over five years, and realize a $200 million run rate by the fifth year.
“We’re on track to do this,” he said.
A Traton joint venture with Hino is also looking to secure savings in a similar way.
Traton has demonstrated further faith in Navistar by increasing its stake over the original 16.6%, buy- ing shares on the open market and at rates higher than those paid when securing the first shares, Borst added. The deal involving the original equity stake closed in March 2017.
Navistar has also hinted at a new product to be launched in early November. TN
November 2018 • Truck News 17