News Article

GKN Driveline Unveils New Electronic Differential Lock

July 2006
GKN Driveline has begun production in the United States of a new electronic differential lock for two- and four-wheel-drive vehicles that offers safety and drivability benefits for consumers.

The new product is easier for drivers to use, locks faster and responds better at higher speeds and lower temperatures than pneumatic-based differential locks and other competitive products. Vehicle owners need only push a button to handle off-road and other difficult driving conditions. The GKN Driveline system also automatically disengages at higher speeds.

Referred to as an EDL by GKN Driveline’s Torque Technology Group, the new electronically controlled device -- especially suitable for light trucks and off-road vehicles popular in North America -- recently went into production at the company’s renovated assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The new differential lock will debut during the 2007-model year as a standard feature on one U.S. manufacturer’s four-wheel-drive vehicle and be offered as an option on several other vehicles from the same automaker. A second U.S. auto manufacturer will introduce a version of the EDL on one of its 2008-model light trucks.

The new electronic design was first produced by GKN Driveline in Japan for use on Nissan’s Titan, Frontier and Xterra light trucks currently on sale in the United States. Other leading automakers in Europe and North America are evaluating EDL systems for future product applications as well.

“Electronic systems represent the future,” says Graeme Walford, managing director of the company’s Torque Technology Group. “Our new EDL is safer to operate, locks faster and responds better than pneumatic systems and other competitive designs. It significantly enhances the mobility of off-road vehicles and greatly exceeds the capabilities of current products.”

GKN Driveline’s electronic system eliminates the need for air pumps, mounting brackets and tubing that are subject to damage under severe off-road driving conditions.

Caught in ruts, mud or snow, vehicles equipped with the new EDL can be rocked back and forth in a virtually seamless manner without disengaging the locker to shift from forward to reverse. More conventional systems have to unlock when moving between forward and reverse, an uncomfortable situation for the driver that also places added stress on a vehicle’s rear axle.

“With a rugged four-pinion-gear design, our electronic ‘locker’ is lighter and requires less package space than current products which are all features that appeal to development engineers,” notes Graeme Walford. “The EDL also is lockable up to more than a 200 rpm speed difference between two wheels on the same axle.”

Graeme Walford adds that the new EDL is stronger than most competitive products and operates more smoothly and quietly as well.

“Most differentials use a two-pinion design,” he points out. “When we choose to use a four-pinion design, we increased torque capacity by well over 50 percent in the same package size.”

GKN Driveline’s Bowling Green manufacturing plant was included in the company’s acquisition in 2005 of Tochigi Fuji Sanyo, a Japanese-based automotive supplier. The facility has been outfitted to produce an expanded range of products and employs the latest lean manufacturing techniques.

GKN Driveline is a global enterprise with 21,000 people working at more than 40 locations in over 30 countries. The company recorded sales of £2 billion ($3.8 billion) in 2005. Recognized as the auto industry’s leader in the design and production of driveline components, GKN Driveline provides driveline solutions for the smallest front-wheel-drive vehicles up to the most sophisticated four-wheel-drive models.

The company has a commanding share of the global market for CVJ (constant velocity joint) sideshafts and also is a leading global producer of all-wheel-drive PTUs (power transfer units) and torque management devices.
 

Company contact:
Paul Dinwiddy
GKN Driveline Headquarters
p: +44 1527 533 646
m: + 44 7801 077 523
e: paul.dinwiddy@gkndriveline.com

Media contact:
Americas
Don Haberek or Larry Weis
AutoCom Associates
t: + 1 248 647 8621
e: dhaberek@usautocom.com or lweis@usautocom.com


Europe
Simon Pearson
T : + 44 207 861 3158
M : + 44 7836 744 192
E : simon@s-pearson.com


Japan
Yoshinori Yamaguchi
Inoue Public Relations
T: + 81 03 5269 2301
E: yamaguchi@inoue-pr.com