ZF Presents Its Autonomous Driving Technologies at CES 2020
During the recent CES show, ZF has presented its technological advances in the field of autonomous driving, and confirmed its intention to deliver a Level 4 autonomous driving solution for an unnamed commercial vehicle (CV) maker by 2025.
According to ZF officials, the auto industry
will start using autonomous technologies for different in the near future.
Currently, smart high-tech solutions, so-called Level 2+ systems, have good
prospects, if used in passenger cars. When we are talking about fully automated
systems of level 4 and higher, they will probably find application in CVs and
public transport. ZF has already received several orders from automotive
companies
In the CV segment, ZF analytics are already
noticing strong demand for technologies that make fully ensure 100% autonomous
driving. While the use of self-driving passenger cars in public transport still
can be restricted by technical norms, CVs can already adopt these technologies
for operation within limited areas or specified lanes. It should be noted that autonomous
technologies may have a significant savings potential that ensures quick returns
on the production investments.
ZF CEO Wolf-Henning
Scheider during the interview at CES 2020
In addition, the company’s CEO stated that
based on the ZF ProAI supercomputer, ZF engineers are currently working on the
electronic control unit (ECU) for a Level 4 system for an unnamed customer. This
product is planned to be released within the next five years.
Moreover, ZF also plans to invest significant
financial resources into software development. In cooperation with Microsoft, ZF
wants to move to a new level in software engineering. Achieving this goal will
allow ZF to become more efficient in dealing with challenges faced by the automotive
industry because of the upcoming electrification. Thanks to the partnership
with such a tech giant as Microsoft, ZF can adopt best practices in software
development. In the long-run, ZF plans to develop and supply automotive
software solutions.
