EcoLife transmission among main vehicle features
When updating their vehicle fleets, the Turkish transport authorities are increasingly building on ZF Friedrichshafen AG: They have ordered driveline and chassis technology for a total of 2 043 new city buses that will run in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Gaziantep, Konya and Erzurum. The buses will feature the economical ZF-EcoLife automatic transmission, independent suspensions, low-floor axles and dampers, as well as steering systems from ZF.
The consistent extension of the urban public transport network (UPTN) in the growing metropolises and the changeover to modern low-floor fleets are making the Turkish bus market increasingly important for ZF: Already today the company is a leading provider of transmissions and chassis systems for buses with more than 12 meters length in Turkey, with the market share amounting to around 80 per cent. ZF has now received new major orders from seven different transport authorities in six cities, for a total of 2,043 city buses.
“There are numerous reasons for the increasing demand for our broad driveline and chassis technology portfolio: Our products are innovative and reliable, so they contribute considerably to reducing the vehicles’ life-cycle cost and increasing passenger comfort at the same time.
In addition, we boast a dense service network in the whole country, which means that we can quickly and effectively support the transport authorities”, says Rolf Lutz, Member on the Board of Management responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Technology division.
Economical, silent, and with a level vehicle floor
ZF-EcoLife, the 6-speed automatic transmission is used in approx 1,108 new solo or articulated buses made by Karsan, Mercedes-Benz Türk, Temsa and Solaris. The transport authorities IETT in Istanbul, Ego in Ankara, and Eshot in Izmir have placed their orders based on decisive advantages: With the interaction of modern hardware and intelligent software, the ZF-EcoLife reduces the engine speed in buses in all operating conditions.
Thus, the standard TopoDyn Life shifting program 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 10 per cent less fuel. At the same time, the noise level is noticeably lower – good for people who live near bus stops, pedestrians waiting at bus stops, and finally, the passengers.
The ZF city bus retarder comes along with additional advantages. This integrated transmission brake can take over up to 90 per cent of braking actions in everyday commercial vehicle operation and thus preserves the service brakes.
All 2,043 city buses for the seven Turkish transport authorities also feature low-floor rear axles from ZF: The AV 132 drive axle, supplemented by the AVN 132 tag axle, allows for the very same floor height throughout the vehicle. The axles always offer maximum safety and passenger comfort – and were partly ordered with dampers from ZF.
A major share of these city buses is also equipped with the modern front independent suspension RL 75 EC from ZF.
In a total of 878 vehicles, steering technology from ZF Lenksysteme GmbH allows for more precise steering.