ZF Expands E-Mobility Division

ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s E-Mobility unit is opening a new research and development center and two production facilities.

The r&d center is located within the E-Mobility division’s headquarters complex in Schweinfurt, Germany. The facility, which also will house sales and administration personnel, has 16 test benches for electrified drivetrains and related components.

More than 500 people are expected to work at the center. ZF’s E-Mobility and Aftermarket units employ 9,400 people at Schweinfurt.

This week, ZF will begin production at a new facility in Pancevo, Serbia. Located near Belgrade, the manufacturing plant will make electric motors, generators for electrified drivetrains, transmission selectors and microswitches.

ZF says it already has plans to expand the Serbian site, which is expected to employ about 1,000 workers, to meet increasing demand for these products. The supplier also is due to open an electric drive factory next year in Hangzhou, China.

Formed in 2016, ZF’s E-Mobility business is headed by Jorg Grotendorst. Last autumn, ZF CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider said the company will invest €12 billion ($13.5 billion) in autonomous and electric vehicle technologies over the next five years.