ZF is ready for production of its commercial vehicle PowerLine transmission in the U.S. The PowerLine 8-speed automatic transmission production line has been installed and testing is underway, the company stated in a press release.
The new production line is part of the $200 million investment in the ZF Transmissions Gray Court, South Carolina, manufacturing facility.
“The ZF PowerLine transmission, with its efficiency-focused architecture, provides outstanding performance and comfort, and helps commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets meet tough CO2 targets in a cost-efficient way,” said Christian Feldhaus, director of Commercial Vehicle Driveline Systems, Americas, ZF Group.
In total, the new PowerLine project can produce more than 200,000 transmissions per year. The ZF PowerLine transmission is designed for trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles, up to some vocational Class 8 applications. It is based on ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission family. The patented layout provides a wider-spread gear range with fewer moving parts, reducing friction and, therefore, improving fuel efficiency, according to ZF.
Available to North American customers since 2021, the PowerLine transmission was introduced in Europe in 2020 and was initially produced at ZF’s global headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The Gray Court, South Carolina, manufacturing facility, which opened in 2012 and has made more than 7.3 million automotive transmissions, is the first in the U.S. to produce the PowerLine transmission.
