ZF High Revolution Drive pairs a 30,000 rpm motor with a two-stage helical gear transmission

Contents

1. A two-stage gear set turns speed into torque
2. Gearing, bearings and tooth geometry designed as one system
3. Nearly 25 percent smaller, half the magnet mass

ZF has developed the High Revolution Drive, a compact 3-in-1 electric drive combining motor, power electronics and transmission that spins at up to 30,000 rpm. According to the company’s announcement from Friedrichshafen on 5 November 2026, the higher speed allows a smaller, lighter motor for the same power, while a high-ratio two-stage transmission delivers the torque needed at the wheel.

A two-stage gear set turns speed into torque

Running faster means the motor needs less torque for the same power, and since torque scales closely with rotor volume, ZF can shrink the motor and cut its weight. To convert that speed into usable torque, ZF uses a two-stage helical cylindrical gear transmission with a ratio of about 18:1. The version presented delivers peak output of 200 kW and peak wheel torque of 3,500 Nm.

Gearing, bearings and tooth geometry designed as one system

Noise and vibration become harder to manage as speed rises, and ZF says it draws on decades of gear and transmission experience to address this. For Thomas Meiser, Head of the E-Mobility Business Unit at ZF, that meant setting tight robustness and NVH targets from day one and engineering motor, gearing, bearings and tooth geometry together rather than one by one. “For the configuration presented, 30,000 rpm is the economic and technical sweet spot,” he says.

Nearly 25 percent smaller, half the magnet mass

Compared with a SELECT drive running at 18,000 rpm, the High Revolution Drive is nearly 25 percent smaller and nearly 25 percent lighter, and it needs 50 percent less magnet mass, which ZF says lowers cost and reduces dependence on critical supply chains. Despite the high speed and high gear ratio, efficiency is nearly 93 percent, on par with the comparable SELECT system. The focus is the high-volume passenger car market with outputs of about 150 to 200 kW, and the architecture scales to different power ratings and to 400- and 800-volt systems. Designed as a variant of the modular SELECT platform using existing technologies, the drive is already being discussed with several automakers, and ZF is targeting production by 2030.

Sources

• ZF Friedrichshafen AG, “ZF High Revolution Drive: Higher Speeds, Less Space”, press release, 5 November 2026 – press.zf.com

Image: ZF

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