Hendrickson is introducing ELECTRAAX, a fully integrated electric drive axle co-developed with Driventic (formerly Voith), targeting Class 6-7 school buses, food and beverage delivery trucks and last-mile commercial vehicles. The system combines the axle, single-speed gearbox, motor and inverter into a single assembly.

Hendrickson rates ELECTRAAX at up to 94% system-level efficiency based on internal testing. The fabricated axle housing is designed to reduce mass compared to cast alternatives. The single-speed gearbox eliminates shift-quality concerns in stop-and-go duty cycles and reduces component count versus multi-speed designs. Full motor torque regenerative braking handles energy recovery on deceleration. The modular architecture supports configurable track widths, gear ratios, suspension setups and brake options across different chassis platforms.

The weight angle matters specifically for Class 6-7 vehicles, where payload limits are tighter than in Class 8. A lighter drive axle either frees up payload capacity or reduces battery sizing requirements—both meaningful for fleets running school bus routes or urban delivery cycles where battery cost is a key part of the TCO equation.

ELECTRAAX is Hendrickson’s first drive axle and its first electric axle—a meaningful expansion from its century-plus suspension heritage into integrated ePowertrain systems. Driventic, which operates under that name following its separation from Voith, contributes over 150 years of electric drive system development to the partnership.

Source: Hendrickson