ZF India Pvt. Ltd. has secured a landmark business nomination from a leading Indian OEM for its AxTrax 2 LF electric portal axle, marking a significant step forward in the electrification of heavy-duty public transport. The next-generation e-axle will power 18-metre articulated buses and 11-metre city buses for both domestic and export markets, reinforcing ZF’s focus on sustainable mobility and advanced commercial vehicle technologies.
The nomination, secured in October 2025, covers several thousand units under a multi-year supply agreement, with production deliveries scheduled to begin in 2026.
The AxTrax 2 LF is a compact, lightweight and fully integrated low-floor electric axle designed to replace the conventional engine, transmission and axle systems in city buses. Its space-efficient architecture allows OEMs to maximise battery packaging and passenger capacity, while maintaining quiet and smooth operation. Importantly, the system retains similar installation space and identical mounting points as previous-generation and conventional low-floor axles, enabling straightforward interchangeability and backward compatibility.
Built on ZF’s modular eDrive platform, the AxTrax 2 LF integrates two permanent magnet synchronous hairpin motors, two independent 800-volt silicon carbide (SiC) inverters and a high-performance electronic control unit. An advanced oil-cooling system, which incorporates an electric pump and heat exchanger directly into the axle, dynamically manages temperature, lubrication and efficiency to ensure sustained performance and durability.
The system is available in 260 kW and 360 kW continuous power variants, delivering peak torque of up to 36,800 Nm. The higher-powered configuration enables articulated buses of up to 30 tonnes to achieve more than 25 per cent gradeability with a single driven axle, while reducing energy consumption compared to the previous low-floor e-axle in typical urban duty cycles.
The platform supports both 6×2 and 6×4 configurations and is compatible with battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell and trolley bus applications, offering flexibility for OEMs transitioning to zero-emission mobility. It also meets stringent functional safety requirements under ISO 26262 and complies with regulatory cybersecurity standards.
Beyond hardware integration, the AxTrax 2 LF incorporates advanced software features including axle condition monitoring, regenerative braking, hill hold, torque vectoring, cruise control, acceleration limit, creep function and cybersecurity protections. The electronics architecture is Over-the-Air (OTA) update ready, enabling continuous performance optimisation and improved uptime.
Mr. Akash Passey, President – ZF Region India, said the AxTrax 2 LF allows OEMs to design buses that maximise passenger and battery space while delivering superior efficiency and reliability. He noted that its compatibility across battery-electric, fuel cell and trolley bus platforms aligns with India’s zero-emission mobility ambitions and highlights the country’s growing role in next-generation commercial vehicle technologies.
Mr. Paramjit Singh Chadha, Senior Vice President – Commercial Vehicle Solutions, ZF Group (Region India), added that by combining propulsion, braking, suspension, low-noise performance, safety and intelligent electronics within a compact architecture, ZF enables manufacturers to simplify vehicle design and accelerate development timelines.
ZF also offers optional harmonised air suspension and wheel-end solutions as part of a fully integrated e-axle package. This modular approach allows OEMs to configure drivetrains for varying load, terrain and efficiency requirements without redesigning the entire vehicle platform, thereby reducing complexity and shortening time-to-market.
