ZF worked together with Tevva (British electric truck maker) on the development of a regenerative braking system for its 7.5t battery electric truck. Part of this work involved close collaboration between ZF and Tevva engineers to integrate ZF’s EBS into the manufacturer’s zero-emission electric trucks.
Tevva engineers met a stringent set of test criteria for the truck, working on fine-tuning the truck’s vehicle control unit and increasing its compatibility with EBS. The result is a system that recovers up to 4 times more energy than a traditional pneumatic brake system, thus optimizing the autonomy of the Tevva truck.
The implementation of EBS allows regenerative braking up to 180 kW to be safely incorporated, whereas the traditional air braking system had limited passive regeneration to around 40 kW for safety reasons. Trials of the adapted system, which took place at ZF’s Jeversen test track in Germany, involved a variety of conditions, gradients and surface types.
Advances in technology allow the modern EBS system to control the integration of friction braking with the electric motor, reducing brake wear. The system electronically transfers the driver’s request to decelerate to all components of the braking system to reduce response times, balance braking forces and ensure ease and intelligent braking management.
Tevva’s 7.5t battery-electric truck has been in series production at the company’s London plant since this year and offers up to 227 km of range on a single charge. It will soon be joined by a 7.5t hydrogen electric truck, which benefits from a hydrogen range-extender that boosts the vehicle’s range to 570km.