ZF AI Road Sense at CES 2026: smarter traction control
ZF AI Road Sense reads the road and adapts car behavior in real time
ZF AI Road Sense at CES 2026: smarter traction control
Unveiled at CES 2026, ZF's AI Road Sense reads road surfaces and tunes throttle, steering, brakes and AWD torque - a smart alternative to traction control.
2026-01-08T08:05:35+03:00
2026-01-08T08:05:35+03:00
2026-01-08T08:05:35+03:00
At CES 2026, German component supplier ZF unveiled a technology that could make the ESP Off and DTC Off buttons feel like relics. The new AI Road Sense system reads the road surface and reshapes the car’s behavior in real time, without the driver having to select a mode or disable electronic aids.The logic is straightforward: today, switching off traction control can sometimes help on slick roads and in deep snow, when the wheels need to spin to break free. ZF proposes an alternative: instead of a blunt switch, the system infers what’s happening beneath the tires and adjusts throttle response, steering effort, brake behavior, suspension settings, and—where possible—torque distribution. It’s a more nuanced approach than a crude on/off toggle.AI Road Sense is built as a three-step lineup. The base Standard configuration uses CAN-bus signals from wheel-speed sensors and other onboard telemetry to gauge available grip. Advanced adds camera data processing and tries to anticipate the surface type ahead. The top Premium version integrates lidar that scans the road profile roughly 25 meters in front of the car, building a detailed 3D map of the terrain to fine-tune settings more precisely.The data is processed by the cubiX chassis-tuning software, which decides how to vary damping, steering, braking, and acceleration. In practical terms, ZF says the system can tell deep snow from a light dusting and, for instance, precondition the driveline in all-wheel-drive cars—including pre-setting locks and torque split—to avoid bogging down.
ZF, AI Road Sense, CES 2026, traction control, ESP Off, DTC Off, road surface sensing, lidar, camera, CAN bus, cubiX, AWD torque distribution, chassis tuning, vehicle dynamics, real-time adaptation
2026
Michael Powers
news
ZF AI Road Sense reads the road and adapts car behavior in real time
Unveiled at CES 2026, ZF's AI Road Sense reads road surfaces and tunes throttle, steering, brakes and AWD torque - a smart alternative to traction control.
Michael Powers, Editor
At CES 2026, German component supplier ZF unveiled a technology that could make the ESP Off and DTC Off buttons feel like relics. The new AI Road Sense system reads the road surface and reshapes the car’s behavior in real time, without the driver having to select a mode or disable electronic aids.
The logic is straightforward: today, switching off traction control can sometimes help on slick roads and in deep snow, when the wheels need to spin to break free. ZF proposes an alternative: instead of a blunt switch, the system infers what’s happening beneath the tires and adjusts throttle response, steering effort, brake behavior, suspension settings, and—where possible—torque distribution. It’s a more nuanced approach than a crude on/off toggle.
AI Road Sense is built as a three-step lineup. The base Standard configuration uses CAN-bus signals from wheel-speed sensors and other onboard telemetry to gauge available grip. Advanced adds camera data processing and tries to anticipate the surface type ahead. The top Premium version integrates lidar that scans the road profile roughly 25 meters in front of the car, building a detailed 3D map of the terrain to fine-tune settings more precisely.
The data is processed by the cubiX chassis-tuning software, which decides how to vary damping, steering, braking, and acceleration. In practical terms, ZF says the system can tell deep snow from a light dusting and, for instance, precondition the driveline in all-wheel-drive cars—including pre-setting locks and torque split—to avoid bogging down.
