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ZF has received a prestigious CLEPA Innovation Award in the “Green” category for its magnet-free electric motor. The European Automotive Suppliers Association recognized ZF’s pioneering technology, which eliminates the need for rare earth materials while maintaining the same performance, leading to a more sustainable and resilient electromobility solution.
Key Highlights:
- Award-Winning Technology: ZF’s electric motor is completely magnet-free, increasing sustainability and reducing reliance on rare earth materials.
- Environmental Benefits: By dispensing with rare earths, ZF minimizes the environmental impact often associated with mining these metals.
- Efficiency Gains: Compared to traditional permanent magnet motors, ZF’s innovation enhances efficiency, especially during long highway drives.
- Recognition by CLEPA: The award acknowledges ZF as a leader in innovative and sustainable technologies for the automotive industry.
The CLEPA Innovation Award in the “Green” category reflects ZF’s ongoing commitment to advancing electromobility. Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Head of Engineering Electrified Powertrain Technology at ZF, expressed pride in the company’s achievement: “This award is a recognition of our continuous efforts to develop innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for electromobility. With our electric motor, we are demonstrating a more sustainable alternative to conventional solutions that does not require the use of rare earths and at the same time offers maximum performance.”
Rare earth metals, although common in electric motor designs, are challenging to extract and have significant environmental impacts. ZF’s I²SM (In-Rotor Inductive-Excited Synchronous Machine) replaces these metals with an inductively excited, magnet-free system in the rotor, significantly improving sustainability. This innovative approach reduces dependence on critical raw materials, enhancing supply chain resilience while also improving energy efficiency by avoiding drag losses typical of permanent magnets.
This is not ZF’s first recognition from CLEPA. The company received previous innovation awards in 2022 for its autonomous shuttle and in 2020 for the eTrailer, an eco-friendly truck trailer prototype with an integrated electric drive. In 2017, ZF and WABCO jointly won the award for the Evasive Maneuver Assist system for commercial vehicles, demonstrating ZF’s long history of contributions to safety and sustainability in the automotive industry.
The CLEPA Innovation Awards are presented annually by the European Automotive Suppliers Association, recognizing significant advancements in technology that benefit the automotive industry. The “Green” and “Digital” categories honor particularly sustainable and digital projects. This year, the “Top Innovator” award, which was selected from around 80 applications, was presented during a ceremony celebrating CLEPA’s 65th anniversary at Autoworld in Brussels.
About ZF
ZF is a global leader in advanced mobility solutions, offering products for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology. Its extensive product range aims to reduce emissions, support climate initiatives, and enhance safe mobility across diverse vehicle categories. ZF also caters to sectors beyond automotive, such as construction machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, and rail drives. With 168,700 employees worldwide and 162 production locations across 31 countries, ZF reported €46.6 billion in sales in 2023.
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