BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WABCO Holdings Inc. (NYSE: WBC ) ( www.wabco-auto.com ) and ZF Friedrichshafen AG were recently recognized by CLEPA with its prestigious Innovation Award 2017 for their joint development of Evasive Maneuver Assist (EMA), a breakthrough collision avoidance system for commercial vehicles. The EMA prototype combines WABCO’s world-class braking, stability and vehicle dynamics control systems on trucks and trailers with ZF’s top active steering technology. CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers and has more than 100 member companies and over 20 national as well as European trade associations.
The CLEPA Innovation Award 2017 celebrates excellence of innovative technologies and solutions developed by leading automotive suppliers and vehicle manufacturers in the categories Environment, Safety, Connectivity and Automation, as well as Cooperation. CLEPA’s international jury of industry experts recognized Evasive Maneuver Assist in the classifications Safety and Cooperation. Assessing 56 applications from 31 companies across Europe, the panel of judges ranked all technology innovations based on the following criteria: ambition, market relevance, impact, and quality.
“When speaking about mobility, road safety is rightly at the top of the political and technological agendas,” said Roberto Vavassori, President, CLEPA. “The innovation presented by WABCO and ZF proves that road safety goes way beyond cars and motorcycles to include commercial vehicles. It also demonstrates that cooperation between automotive suppliers can pave the way to success and better mobility for all.”
“We are deeply honored to receive the Innovation Award 2017 from CLEPA, a globally recognized and prestigious industry organization, for Evasive Maneuver Assist,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, Vice President Engineering, WABCO. “The Evasive Maneuver Assist prototype demonstrates WABCO’s and ZF’s leadership in developing advanced safety technologies for commercial vehicles. EMA connects WABCO’s braking and stability control systems with ZF’s active steering solution for the first time, realizing another critical step toward autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle industry.”
“A win for the Evasive Maneuver Assist technology jointly developed by ZF and WABCO shows how safety could be increased for all road users,” said Dr. Harald Naunheimer, Head of Research and Development, ZF. “It also emphasizes the commitment ZF has made to its Vision Zero of an accident-free future of mobility.”
Demonstrated for the first time in June 2016, Evasive Maneuver Assist leverages the capabilities of WABCO’s industry-leading OnGuardACTIVE™, its most advanced, radar-only collision mitigation system. A radar sensor identifies moving or stationary vehicles ahead and alerts the driver via visual, audio and haptic signals of impending rear-end collisions. Should the driver determine that the system cannot avoid a rear-end collision by driver-initiated or autonomous braking alone, Evasive Maneuver Assist engages to help the driver to safely steer around an obstructing vehicle and to bring truck and trailer to a complete and safe stop. In such situations, EMA’s collision avoidance function is connecting WABCO’s proven electronic braking system (EBS), advanced emergency braking system (AEBS), electronic stability control (ESC) and vehicle dynamics control systems to ZF’s electrohydraulic ReAX power steering system.
About WABCO WABCO (NYSE: WBC ) is a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Founded nearly 150 years ago, WABCO continues to pioneer breakthrough innovations for advanced driver assistance, braking, stability control, suspension, transmission automation and aerodynamics. Partnering with the transportation industry as it maps a route toward autonomous driving, WABCO also uniquely connects trucks, trailers, cargo, drivers, business partners and fleet operators through advanced fleet management systems and mobile solutions. WABCO reported sales of $2.8 billion in 2016. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, WABCO has 13,000 employees in 40 countries. WABCO’s 2016 Annual Report is available at www.ar.wabco-auto.com . For more information, visit www.wabco-auto.com .
About ZF ZF is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. The company has a global workforce of around 137,000 with approximately 230 locations in some 40 countries. In 2016, ZF achieved sales of €35.2 billion. ZF annually invests about six percent of its sales in research and development – ensuring continued success through the design and engineering of innovative technologies. ZF is one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. With its technologies, the company is striving for Vision Zero – a world of mobility without accidents and emissions. With its broad portfolio, ZF is advancing mobility and services in the automobile, truck and industrial technology sectors. For further press information and photos please visit: www.zf.com .
WABCO global media contact Nina Friedmann, +49 69 719 168 171, wabco@klenkhoursch.de
WABCO investors and analysts contact Alexander De Bock, +1 248 270 9287, investorrelations@wabco-auto.com
ZF global media contact Thomas Wenzel, +49 151 167 164 45, thomas.wenzel@zf.com
