ZF sets out its software-defined truck roadmap around updates, diagnostics and a data link
The supplier named secure software update management, vehicle diagnostics and a high-speed truck-trailer connection among the building blocks on its path to the software-defined commercial vehicle.
ZF published its pre-show release for IAA Transportation on September 2, describing what it called a step-by-step path toward the software-defined commercial vehicle. The company said secure software update management, vehicle diagnostics, condition monitoring and connected vehicle intelligence were important building blocks on that road.
The products it named are already launched or announced: a Software Update Management System, ZF [pro] Diagnostics, and condition monitoring through ZF Health Check. The release said all of them come with built-in cybersecurity.
ZF also returned to Truck Trailer Link, a concept it first described in a July 2024 release as a way to move data and images between truck and trailer at high speed, and presented it this time as a foundation for the vehicle’s architecture. TTL establishes a high-speed communication connection between tractor and trailer. ZF said bi-directional, real-time data exchange across the whole vehicle combination creates a foundation for future software-defined functions, and gave as potential applications the integration of trailer cameras into driver assistance systems and in-cab control of lift axles, landing legs and lighting. The concept “aims to replace conventional connectors and unify truck-trailer communication through one single, cyber-secure, point-to-point link.”
ZF also showed an SdCV Driver Terminal proof of concept from its CV Tech Day, which explores how service-oriented software architectures and vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity could improve productivity and operational control in logistics yards.
Ivan Brajdic, head of research and development at ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division, said the software-defined commercial vehicle “is not about technology for technology’s sake, it is about increasing uptime, improving efficiency and continuously enhancing performance throughout the vehicle lifecycle.” The company holds its IAA press conference on September 14.
Source: ZF Press