Meritor announces new single-piston EX+ LS air disc brake, and other new offerings

Meritor, a supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking, and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets, announced several new axle, braking, and electric drivetrain solutions at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, Georgia. The company also announced its participation in Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (VWCO's) e-Consortium to collaborate in the development of electric commercial vehicles in Brazil.

Enhancements to 14X HE, plus two new drive axles

Meritor announced enhancements to the 14X HE linehaul tandem drive axle and added two more drive axles to its high-efficiency family of products.

“We’ve made the 14X HE axle even more efficient than it was when we launched it less than two years ago,” said James Taylor, vice president of Rear Drivetrain, NAFTA. “We’re also adding two new axle products, reinforcing our commitment to enhancing the portfolio with technologies focused on efficiency.”

The 14X HE axle, as well as the new RT160 HE axle for heavy-haul and vocational applications, and the 17X HE axle for heavy-duty applications, are built with high-efficiency bearings, specialized gearing, fast ratios for downspeeding, and the Meritor Lube Management System.

Meritor enhanced the 14X HE tandem axle by adding a second Meritor Lube Management System to the carrier of the forward axle. When the axle launched in 2017, only the carrier of the rear axle was equipped with the system. With the Meritor Lube Management system now on both axles, the 14X HE tandem axle will deliver more efficiency than the initial offering.

The new 17X HE axle for 4x2 and 6x2 heavy-haul applications targets a 1 percent efficiency improvement over Meritor’s previous offering. The Meritor Lube Management system is standard, offering reduced lubrication volume. Meritor’s use of laser welding to join the ring gear and differential housing eliminates the need for bolts, which contribute to churning losses. The 1.95 fast gear ratio equips applications for downspeeding. The axle offers a gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of up 40,000 lbs.

The new RT160 HE tandem axle also targets a 1 percent efficiency improvement over Meritor’s previous product due to the Meritor Lube Management System and fuel-efficient bearings. Offering a GAWR of 46,000, the tandem axle is equipped with axle ratios of 2.67 and 2.80 for downspeeding.

MFS+ 14K steer axle

Another announcement Meritor made at the show was the launch of its MFS+ 14K front non-drive steer axle.

“With this new axle, we’re expanding our proven MFS+ series axle architecture for the North America linehaul market to include vocational customers,” said T.J. Reed, vice president of Front Drivetrain and Electrification. “This evolutionary front axle offers universal compatibility with braking systems.”

The MFS+ 14K axle offers weight savings up to 68 pounds compared with the existing MFS 14K axle. Its low-profile design improves overall packaging to simplify integration into the chassis. The integrated torque plate and tie rod arm is built with fewer bolted joints, reducing maintenance costs. Brakes are mounted at 12 o'clock for easy removal. The axle also offers high-angle turning capacity up to 55 degrees and universal compatibility with braking systems.

N-Type brake friction

Moving to brake products, Meritor announced it is offering high-performing N-type brake friction designed to deliver exceptional pad life. The new friction is engineered for a range of gross axle weight ratings and is validated to offer performance and durability across multiple brake systems.

“With legislation taking effect in two states during 2021 and 2025 requiring reduced copper content in brake pads, our new MA9300 friction offers OEMs a solution today that complies with the 2025 laws,” Reed said. “Our friction saves OEMs the time and expense of validating brake pads multiple times for various applications and weight ratings and offers the industry a green technology, which has a positive impact on the environment.”

The MA9300 friction demonstrated superior pad wear and similar rotor life compared to Meritor’s current offering during two years of comprehensive lab validation and more than 2.4 million miles of field testing. The friction fits Meritor EX+ L and EX+ H air-disc brakes for truck and trailer applications and is available on the aftermarket. It is interchangeable with today’s A-level MA761 pads.

New laws taking effect in California and Washington require lower copper content in brake pads by 2025. Brakes sold in both states cannot contain more than 5 percent copper by weight beginning in 2021 and no more than 0.5 percent copper in 2025. Meritor’s N-type friction meets the 2025 requirement.

EX+ LS air disc brake

The company also announced the launch of the lightweight, single-piston EX+ LS air disc brake, a braking solution designed and engineered for linehaul and trailer applications.

“After years of development, more than 300 lab tests and over 1 million miles of validation on the road, our EX+ LS air disc brake is designed to offer the reliability and performance that customers expect from Meritor,” Reed said. “This new brake rounds out an industry-leading portfolio of advanced braking solutions specifically designed to serve the linehaul segment.”

Meritor designed the EX+ LS air disc brake to meet growing fleet expectations for efficiency, safety, and weight reduction. Built with exceptional taper wear control, the new air disc brake is designed and validated to the same taper wear criteria as a twin-piston brake. Its large-diameter, integrated piston and pusher plate reduce taper wear by increasing stability to deliver evenly distributed braking forces across the brake surface. The adjuster mechanism is based on proven EX+ air disc brake architecture to offer reliable and consistent brake performance.

The EX+ LS air disc brake comes standard with MA9300 N-level proprietary friction. Optional positive pad retraction is designed with the goal of maintaining friction couple running clearance to extend pad life and reduce brake drag. An optional pad wear warning indicator aids in service predictability.

Fleets with EX+ LS air disc brakes on their trucks and trailers benefit from commonality of parts within Meritor’s existing EX+ L air disc brake design. They can stock fewer parts and replacement is simplified by ordering through Meritor Aftermarket.

The EX+ LS air disc brake is available globally under the ELSA air disc brake product line outside North America. DriveForce, Meritor's North American sales and service organization, and OnTrac, Meritor's dealer technical support center, are available to assist customers with solutions before, during and after the sale.

12Xe and 17Xe electric drive systems

Meritor announced an expansion of its electric drivetrain solutions by launching the 12Xe powertrain for Class 4, 5, 6, and 7 applications and introducing the 17Xe powertrain for heavy-duty 4x2 and 6x2 trucks.

“These powertrain solutions from our Blue Horizon product portfolio are engineered to fit multiple vehicle applications to meet customer needs now and in the future,” said John Bennett, vice president and chief technology officer for Meritor. “Meritor’s expanding range of next-generation technologies that include comprehensive solutions for standard axles, remote-mount configurations or fully electric powertrain systems furthers our goal of becoming the electric drivetrain supplier of choice.”

The 12Xe powertrain’s modular design uses many of the same components as Meritor’s 14Xe full-electric powertrain now undergoing testing with fleets. Testing of the 12Xe powertrain starts next year, and production launch begins in 2021. The 12Xe powertrain expands Meritor’s electric solutions coverage into Class 4 and 5 applications and into Class 6 and 7 applications with wheels as small as 17.5", without sacrificing ground clearance.

Vehicle manufacturers can choose from a range of wheel-ends, brakes, transmissions and differential gearing, all tailored to meet the vehicle’s duty-cycle. The electric motor can be scaled to specific vehicle requirements and delivers 150, 180, or 200 kilowatts of continuous power and 250 kilowatts of peak power. The 12Xe powertrain is available with several differential options, including differential lock and a limited slip differential.

Meritor also developed the 17Xe powertrain that will deliver 420 kilowatts of continuous power and 450 kilowatts of peak power, and packaged it to fit into the rails of 4x2 trucks. In Europe, applications include 44-ton heavy-duty long-haul trucks, medium-duty 27-ton refuse vehicles, 19.5- and 26.5-ton intercity buses and 26.5-ton coaches. It will also fit 40' and 60' city buses in North America.

Meritor’s new two- and three-speed dual countershaft transmission is optional on the 12Xe and 14Xe powertrains. The transmission, coupled with the right-sized motor, delivers improved vehicle performance compared to a single-speed or direct-drive system. Each variant of the transmission is built with compact gear range splits to deliver efficient and high-performing operation. The three-speed version extends the performance envelope over the two-speed version to deliver higher startability and top speed.

Participation in the Volkswagen e-Consortium

Finally, the company also announced it has joined Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (VWCO's) e-Consortium to collaborate in the development of electric commercial vehicles in Brazil, beginning with the launch of the OEM’s 11-ton e-Delivery truck, equipped with Meritor’s 12X drive axle with eOptimized gearing, in 2020.

Through the e-Consortium, VWCO plans to deliver 1,600 e-Delivery trucks with the Meritor axle to Brazilian beverage company Cervejaria Ambev, representing one-third of its fleet by 2023. Initially, the vehicles will be equipped with the 12X drive axle but will adopt the 12Xe electric powertrain as it becomes commercially available. The electrification project is one of the largest of its kind in the world, according to VWCO.

“With our participation in the e-Consortium, we are extending our long-term strategic relationship with VWCO in Brazil,” said Chris Villavarayan, senior vice president and president of Global Truck. “As demand continues to rise for electric solutions, the e-Consortium plans to develop advanced technologies for commercial vehicles today and into the future.”

Meritor and six other suppliers – Bosch, CATL, Moura, Semcon, Siemens, and Eletra – comprise VWCO’s e-Consortium, which is building a complete system from production to the recharging system for electric vehicles. Manufacturing activities for each supplier will take place at the VWCO facility in Resende, Brazil. A portion of the plant dedicated to e-Delivery truck production is already being modified to begin assembly of Meritor’s electrical components in October 2020 and is being equipped for quality inspection.

The vehicle, which has delivered beverages in São Paulo during a year of testing, has a range of almost 120 miles between charges.