The ADAC Center in Potsdam, Germany, was alive with all sorts of cars ranging from the majestic Maserati Ghibli to the cutesy Advanced Urban Vehicle test car, each of which demonstrated the various safety, automated driving and efficiency technologies from ZF TRW. The event was carefully split into six stations and product specialists were on site to explain and demonstrate how they worked.
Station 1 - Advanced Urban Vehicle
Probably the most interesting of the lot, the Advanced Urban Vehicle is extremely manoeuvrable, locally emission-free, and networked with driver and environment. ZF TRW is demonstrating the potential inherent in intelligently networking individual chassis/driveline and driver assistance systems, and is presenting an exemplary solution for urban individual transport in the compact and subcompact segments.
The all-electric rear-axle drive eTB (electric Twist Beam), which is mounted close to the wheel, lies at the heart of the vehicle concept.
Two semi-automated driver assistance functions provide additional comfort, convenience as well as safety and efficiency. The first of which is the Smart Parking Assist, which manoeuvres the vehicle into virtually any small parking space, remote-controlled at the push of a button using mobile devices such as a smartphone or smartwatch. The second is ZF's cloud-based PreVision Cloud Assist assistance function. Where necessary, the system reduces the drive torque, for instance, in good time before entering the bend and thus throttles back the speed without any mechanical braking. We got to test this feature around a little go-kart sized track and it proved to be an unexpected ton of fun.
Station 2 - Automated Driving
Already available in planes and futuristic movie mobiles, 'ghost driving' or automated driving seemed like a notion that only Dr. Emmett L. Brown (the scientist from Back to the Future) would have thought possible.
However, we were proven wrong when we got to see it in action - a ZF test vehicle in the form of an Opel Insignia driving autonomously on the Autobahn. With a ZF TRW staff at the wheel, we experienced a 'Highway Driving Assist' feature, which can enable automatic steering, braking and acceleration for highway speeds above 40km/h. This feature combines adaptive cruise control and lane centreing to maintain the lane and a set interval to target vehicles ahead.
The test vehicle combines ZF TRW's AC1000 radar and S-Cam 3 video camera sensor together with its Electrically Powered Steering Belt Drive (EPS BD) and Electronic Stability Control EBC 460 as well as the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Centering Assist (LCA) functionalities. The ACC keeps the vehicle at a set speed until a slower vehicle appears in front or if another car cuts across the lane. It then automatically brakes the vehicle to keep a driver-selected safe gap (constant time interval) behind the slower vehicle. Simultaneously, the front-facing camera tracks the lane markings to keep the car in the centre of the lane via the electric steering system. The driver can easily override this system at any point of time.
Station 3 - Efficiency
The Efficiency station was probably our favourite one as the test was conducted on a 'race track' setting. Here, we got to try out three aspects of efficiency, the lightweight Composite Leaf Spring Axle, the nine-speed Automatic Transmission (9HP) and the eight-speed Automatic Transmission (8HP).
The first vehicle we tested was the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf that showcased ZF's Composite Leaf Spring Axle. This spring is made of GRP, a material with significantly less mass than steel. ZF engineers integrated a high number of classic axle functions such as suspension, stabilisation, and wheel guidance into this new component.
The second car tested at this station was the Fiat 500X, a crossover fitted with the 9HP. Unlike the previous six and eight-speed automatic transmissions equipped with a standard driveline, a longitudinal engine, and rear-wheel drive, ZF designed the 9HP for vehicles with front-transverse drivelines. The success of the 9HP lies, above all, in its fuel efficiency. ZF's 9HP transmission allows the engine to run in the most fuel efficient speed range, thus promoting fuel economy. Roughly two years since the start of volume production of the 9HP, it has grown into an international success, currently with three customers and diverse serial applications.
Sitting quietly in a corner was non other than the Maserati Ghibli, a car we have been waiting to try. The Maserati Ghibli demonstrated the 8HP and boy was it a blast! The second generation of the 8HP has considerably cut fuel consumption and the ZF engineers have further improved transmission efficiency and reduced inner drag losses by implementing an entire bundle of measures. The second generation 8HP is now tailored to current and future vehicle and drive requirements such as reduced fuel consumption, dynamics, and greater comfort as well as flexibility.
Station 4 - SafetyAt this fourth station, we were treated to three TRW safety features, the Automatic Emergency Brake (AEB), Active Cruise Control (ACC) Follow-to-Stop and the Emergency Steering Assist (ESA).
AEB and ACC safety functions were demonstrated in a Volkswagen Passat Variant. The AEB feature combines advanced driver assist systems and Electronic Stability Control to slow the vehicle and helps reduce the severity of an impact when a collision is inevitable.
AEB works with or without driver interference by link data from front-facing radar and video systems to provide a complete, accurate and real-time image of the road ahead. The ACC function offers distance and collision warning and has an effective control range up to 100 metres, which is ample for most traffic situations.
An Opel Insignia Wagon was the vehicle of choice for TRW to display their ESA feature, which supports the driver in a emergency situations where the driver initiates an evasive steering maneuver. Increased steering torque is activated to aid the driver and stabilise the vehicle in times of an evasive action, using the electrically powered steering system.
Station 5 - Safety (Off-Road)
The activities for Station 5 took us away from the track and into a little forest to try three ZF TRW off-road safety features, the Decouplabale AWD ECOnnect, Active Control Retractor 2 (ACR 2) and Hill Descent Control (HDC).
ZF TRW's Decouplabale AWD ECOnnect minimises the extra fuel consumption associated with the operating principle of all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles. Fuel consumption can be reduced by up to five percent and at the same time, vehicle dynamics and driving safety are enhanced substantially by distributing torque to the individual wheels. The Decouplabale AWD ECOnnect was demonstrated using a Land Rover Freelander.
The ZF TRW Active Control Retractor (ACR) used in a Mercedes-Benz GL combines both active and passive safety systems. It is a reversible seat belt retractor, which can be triggered before a crash. The ACR is fashioned to use braking and stability control sensor information to sense an accident. The ACR secures the driver and passenger seat belts by eliminating seat belt slack so as to improve the occupant position in the event of an impending crash.
At the off-road circuit, there was a fiercely steep hill with an equally fierce descent. Piloting an Audi Q3, we got to test the Hill Descent Control (HDC) function. In a nutshell, with HDC activated, the driver can focus on steering the vehicle safely down a steep or slippery slope while the HDC holds the vehicle steadily at a pre-determined speed without the driver needing to depress the brake pedal.
Station 6 - Safety
This final station of the event was the second of two safety stations. The cars we drove were an electrically powered Volkswagen e-Up! that featured an Electrically Powered Steering (EPS) and a Porsche 911 Turbo with its Active Kinematics Control (AKC).
The Volkswagen e-Up! was exceptionally fun to drive thanks to the EPS, a cost-effective and fuel efficient steering solution not only capable of 5-Star NCAP crash requirements but also provided the little car with class-leading steering dynamics. Staring at the e-Up!, none of us expected it to excel in steering feedback but once again, technology has proven us wrong.
Probably the other car next to the Maserati Ghibli that really got me excited was the Porsche 911 Turbo with an AKC system. It provided the German race car various responses depending on the road speed with the aim of increasing passenger car driving safety, comfort, manoeuvrability, and driving dynamics. Needless to say, all this technical mambo jambo was forgetten the moment we fired up the car's 3.8-litre, twin variable-vane turbocharged flat-six.
