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Along with optimized design, including the integration of functions for individual components, new materials for heavy-truck applications are leading ZF’s lightweight charge. One example on display at the IAA show was a “study” of a four-point link made from glass-fiber-reinforced plastic that reduces weight by 25% compared to the standard cast component.
Goodyear is developing an internal mechanically driven pump that keeps commercial truck tires topped off.
Plastic foam-core/aluminum-skin sandwich components developed by Inrekor in collaboration with JSP cut the weight of a prototype EV chassis by 30%.
Reducing a vehicle's mass opens the door for a downsized engine and transmission, a lighter cradle and body structure, smaller wheels and brakes, as well as a weight-slimmed suspension. The start point for this ripple effect is materials.
A wider, longer radar beam range and the ability to detect stationary objects are key upgrades to a collision mitigation system, one of three safety products recently unveiled by Meritor WABCO for the commercial-vehicle market.
