Many issues still need to be addressed before there is mass acceptance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), such as the lack of charging infrastructure around the world and the time it takes to top the batteries up, let alone their range and price. Until this time, some industry experts believe the use of efficient hybrid powertrains is the best option. “This technology is available today and we can apply it immediately by working with an existing platform design,” Jörg Grotendorst, head of E-Mobility division at ZF, tells AMS. “However, in the long term, there is no doubt that the future is electric.”

The supplier is, therefore, determined to offer a wide variety of products in order to cater for both the near- and long-term.