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ZF receives orders for around 405 City and Intercity Buses in the Netherlands

Posted: 15 October 2013 | ZF | No comments yet

With new major orders, ZF is further developing its position on the Dutch bus market…

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  • Continuing increase of market shares in the Netherlands
  • New orders for 405 buses with driveline and chassis technology by ZF, as well as steering systems by ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
  • The ZF-EcoLife bus transmission makes for reduced fuel consumption and consequently, less particulate matter in agglomeration areas

With new major orders, ZF is further developing its position on the Dutch bus market: A total of 405 new fleet vehicles will get modern transmissions, together with front and rear axle systems from ZF – in addition, they will have steering technology from ZF Lenksysteme GmbH. This makes the means of transportation more environmentally-friendly, universally applicable, and less costly to operate. Thus, they are deployed not only in city traffic, but also nationally.

“Our products impress with their low life cycle costs, contribute to lower fuel consumption, and enable a variety of application opportunities”, says Rolf Lutz, the Member of the Board of Management responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Technology division. “The fact that we received orders for 405 vehicles in a total of four Dutch regions represents a great success for us. With these orders, our bus driveline technology has achieved a market share of almost 50 percent with new orders in this country.”

The buses are perfectly suited to the special requirements of public passenger transport in the Netherlands: There, vehicles are used both in inner city transport and regional passenger traffic. In addition, it is also a question of reducing particulate matter emissions in urban agglomerations. “Most of all, our 6-speed automatic transmission, ZF-EcoLife, fulfills all of these tasks exquisitely”, says Lutz.

Used in a total of 135 new buses for the city of Utrecht, its advantages include the interplay of modern hardware and intelligent software: As a result, ZF-EcoLife reduces the engine speed in buses in all operating conditions. The TopoDyn Life shifting program installed as a standard ensures that the automatic transmission shifts up as early as possible depending on the topography and the load condition of the bus. In total, the vehicles use up to ten percent less fuel – as a consequence, CO2 emissions and particulate matter emissions are also reduced. In parallel to this, the noise level is noticeably lower – good for people who live near bus stops, pedestrians waiting at bus stops, and the passengers. Finally, with its six speeds, ZF-EcoLife is predestined for both city and long distance traffic.

Moreover, all of the 405 buses for use in the cities of Utrecht and Arnhem, as well as in the regions of South Holland and Friesland, are equipped throughout with ZF chassis technology: The AV 132 low-floor driven axle provides for a high level of driving safety and maximum comfort. Several vehicles will also have ZF front axles: With the RL 75 A, for example, passengers have a wide center aisle in the front passenger area as well, along with a low floor level. An additional advantage of the axle is that it offers a high degree of maneuverability and precision. These are also some of the features of the compact Servocom ball-and-nut power steering system by ZF Lenksysteme GmbH that will soon be guiding the newly-ordered buses with precision through the Netherlands.

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