HYBRID DRIVES EVIDENTLY ON THE RISE

At the ZF Global Technology Day 2024, the technology solutions provider emphasised the evident rise of hybrids as it showcased a marketready suite of solutions, writes Ashish Bhatia.

- Ashish Bhatia

With football fever at its peak and the start and end of all European conversations, technology solutions provider and tier 1 supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF), hosted the much anticipated annual Global Technology Day 2024 (GTD) in Hannover, Germany. In the run up to IAA Transportation 2024, on the eve of the track day, the ZF hosted a meet and greet that was warm, inside out. The hot and sultry summers in Hannover became the talking point in the cobblestone garden. It led the select global press gathered for the GTD to admit to climate change in theIR respective geographies at an unprecedented pace. The pressures on the automotive industry to play its part right and the dependencies on leading system providers and suppliers like ZF set the tone from the word go. The sheer scale of operations was in the spotlight. The respective government interventions driving this change were also the focal point of discussions in an election year for many countries including the UK, USA and India. Some hoped for an outright change in governance while others hoped for a continued, stable run to shape up the direction mobility takes.

In a special welcome address with the vaulted brick ceiling demanding its share of attention, Dr Holger Klein, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of ZF Group, did well to hold his own and outline the company’s ambitious mission to spearhead clean, safe, and comfortable mobility. He pointed to the evident slowdown in the passenger EV segment. “The slowdown in the electrification of the passenger car segment in some markets and the rise of hybrid vehicles is evident,” Dr Klein admitted. He emphasised how regardless of the propulsion system, the company’s goal remains clear: every gram of CO2 that it can avoid is a step towards a cleaner future.”