Range Energy and ZF Partner to Scale Electric Trailers Across North American Commercial Fleets

The collaboration delivers hybrid solutions that help lower emissions and increase range industry-wide

Range Energy (Range), the company bringing electric powered trailers to the commercial trucking market, today announced a partnership with global technology supplier, ZF, to help drive the development and adoption of the Range eTrailer System within the North American commercial trucking industry. The collaboration will see ZF’s AxTrax 2 e-axle integrated into Range’s eTrailer System to address critical fleet demands, such as greater efficiency, emissions reductions, and range extension, with the goal of advancing the widespread scalability of hybrid and zero-emissions trucking.

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ZF’s AxTrax 2 e-axle will be integrated into Range’s eTrailer System to address critical fleet demands, such as greater efficiency, emissions reductions, and range extension, with the goal of advancing the widespread scalability of hybrid and zero-emissions trucking. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We believe electrified trailers are a viable solution to help lower emissions for food delivery or transportation of goods, improve fuel economy for combustion engines in the powertrain, extend the range of BEV and electric trucks, reduce exhaust, noise and brake particle pollution, and further improve total cost of ownership. With Range’s market position, the company was a logical trailer partner for the AxTrax 2 e-axle in North America,” said John Hawkins, senior vice president, Commercial Vehicle Solutions, ZF. “Collaborating with Range not only expands the electric mobility applications of our products, it gives us the opportunity to work with an emerging leader offering a smart solution to emissions in a hard-to-abate sector.”

ZF is a market leader in next-generation mobility with technology that is successfully extending the range of electric vehicles worldwide. In addition to supplying its electric axle to Range, ZF will also seek to accelerate Range’s relationships with ecosystem partners, such as component suppliers and integrations with trailer and tractor original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Range’s eTrailer System includes a modular battery pack, the ZF AxTrax 2 e-axle, and a smart kingpin equipped with Range’s patented control algorithms. Range’s eTrailer System is delivering projected savings of up to $20,000 per trailer per year in early tests, and up to 70 percent reduction in emissions, all while using existing equipment and infrastructure.

AxTrax 2 is an axle-based, fully integrated system, featuring a compact design to help maximize the available space for batteries and enhance manufacturers’ design flexibility for future vehicle concepts. It is designed to be fully synchronized with key vehicle functions, including braking, ADAS and automated driving systems to help enhance vehicle safety and efficiency. It also enables advanced digital and telematics systems via CAN bus to communicate and share e-axle system information.

“Time is of the essence to get solutions into the hands of commercial fleet owners and operators to ensure smooth and consistent operations as their fleets evolve to address emissions reduction targets. Partnering with a market leader like ZF in an effort to seize the electric trailer market in commercial trucking is humbling. With ZF, we aim to rapidly advance our platform with tried and tested components, further proving that electric powered trailers can play a critical role in reducing the environmental impact of commercial trucking,” said Ali Javidan, CEO and founder, Range.

Initial customer deliveries of Range’s eTrailer System are expected to begin this year, and the company currently has pre-production units deployed in customer pilots across North America.

About Range Energy

Range Energy (Range) accelerates the electrification of commercial transportation via powered trailers for the heavy-duty truck market. With a solution that can easily hook up to any tow vehicle, Range’s eTrailer System offers offroad mobile power and can rapidly ease the transition to electrification to meet its commercial partners' immediate needs and long-term ambitions. Range was founded in 2021 and is led by a team with deep EV industry expertise from Tesla, Zoox, Honda, and more. The company is backed by leading investors including UP Partners, R7, Yamaha Motor Ventures, and more.

About ZF

ZF is a global technology company. The company supplies highly developed products and systems for the mobility of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. With its comprehensive product range, ZF primarily supplies automotive manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the field of transport and mobility. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle categories. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate and enhancing safe mobility. In addition to the passenger car and commercial vehicle automotive sectors, ZF also serves market segments such as construction and agricultural machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, rail drives, and test systems.

In 2023, ZF achieved a sales figure of €46.6 billion with approximately 168,700 employees worldwide. The company is represented at 162 production locations in 31 countries.

For further press information and photos please visit: www.zf.com.

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