ZF: Hybrid drive for Dakar truck
WORLD PREMIERE ZF developed a hybrid driveline for the world's most famous off-road race. The CeTrax Lite RS e-drive provides the four-wheel drive truck of the Riwald Dakar team with additional power. With the start of the 42nd Dakar Rally, MKR Technology is making history together with ZF and the Riwald-Dakar team. They developed the first off-road truck powered as a hybrid. For this world premiere, ZF jointly equipped [...]
With the start of the 42nd Dakar Rally, MKR Technology is making history together with ZF and the Riwald Dakar team. They developed the first off-road truck powered as a hybrid. For this world premiere, ZF together with MKR Technology equipped the Renault C640 of pilot Gert Huzink's team with a driveline specially designed for this purpose.
Special challenges
The centerpiece is a special prototype of ZF's central electric axle drive. For rally use, however, this was redesigned in terms of hardware and software. The final product is called CeTrax Lite RS. This supports the diesel main unit with additionally available 1400 Nm torque and a continuous output of 80 kW as well as 150 kW output at peak.
A particular challenge was the development of a new gear ratio. This adapts the 13000 rpm of the asynchronous E-machine to the 2700 rpm which the 1000 hp diesel engine calls up at the transmission output.
Everything fits exactly
In addition to the electric motor, ZF supplies integrated power electronics and the hybrid control unit including software which has been specially programmed for the Dakar Rally. An automatic transmission from ZF is also installed in the entire driveline, which precisely directs the horsepower of the diesel engine into the right gears.
A ZF transfer case, on which the combustion engine and electric unit interact, turns the Renault truck into an all-wheel-drive off-roader.
