Meritor Announces New Products, New Brand and Redesigned Components
ATLANTA — Meritor Inc. announced new electrified axles, a value brand and refinements to existing components.
The company made its announcements at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show here Sept. 26.
Meritor is developing a platform of electric drive axles and suspensions as well as supporting systems, joining several suppliers’ emphasis on a range of electric solutions for the commercial vehicle market.
NACV COVERAGE: All stories | Live blog | Photo gallery
“Essentially, we’re focusing on integrating an electric motor into the differential carrier,” Meritor CEO Jay Craig said in a statement.
Its “e-carrier” design will be the foundation for various drivetrain configurations, including full electric, hybrid, single or tandem axles with various options based on application, according to Craig — including city delivery, medium-duty and transit bus, as well as off-road and severe-duty applications.
Also, the company will offer braking systems optimized for e-axles. The next generation of its hydraulic and air disc brakes has been designed for use on hybrid or electric vehicles with regenerative braking. Both brake systems reduce weight on wheel-ends, according to Craig.
In addition, Meritor announced a new value brand called Mach for global aftermarket customers seeking all-makes products designed and engineered to industry standards at affordable prices, according to the company.
The brand is for second as well as third owners of trucks. The Mach-branded products include an assortment of suspension, steering, brake and drivetrain components that will be available initially in North America before the end of 2017 and will launch in Europe, South America and Australia at a later date, according to Meritor. Mach brand products come with a standard one-year warranty
Plus, the company announced its automatic tire inflation system for trailers will include the ThermALERT wheel-end heat-sensing system as standard beginning in October 2017. The system immediately alerts drivers to overheating wheel-ends, increasing safety and minimizing vehicle downtime as well as costs, according to the company.
Lastly, Meritor redesigned its EX+ air disc brake for tractors and trailers to reduce product weight by 10 pounds per brake, and it will be available to OEMs in 2018. Additionally, Meritor air disc brakes are compatible with most collision mitigation systems currently on the market, according to the company.
Meritor Inc. is a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets.
