Conducting automatic transmission related seminars in various parts of the world, as well as in major and not so major cities throughout the United States, I find that there is a common factor everywhere I go. That is the stress that shop owners and techs endure by having to stay on top of the rapid pace of technological advancements. Similar to when you purchase a new smart phone, as soon as it’s in your hands, another version emerges making yours a thing of the past. Likewise, automotive technology no doubt is racing forward with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
The reality of this seemingly endless technological advancements (which I call in short “technobable”) became quite apparent in an interesting presentation I recently sat through. It was delivered by a man named Ric Tamba, chairman and CEO of BRT Corporation in Australia. Within this presentation, he mentioned a number of recent major announcements and activities, along with a summary pertaining to trends in Transmission Technology. These two aspects of Tamba’s presentation offered a view of what we can expect to see in the years to come, which this article will highlight.
Within the automatic transmission category, there will be a rapid expansion from 6-speed transmissions to eight, nine and 10 speeds. There are even rumors of 12 and 14 speeds coming our way. In fact, GM and Ford are jointly developing a 10-speed rear wheel drive automatic transmission. But they are also developing a 9=speed front wheel drive unit with the potential of being a 12-speed transmission.
Hyundai is developing there own 10-speed, while Chrysler will use ZF 9-speed front wheel drive and 8-speed rear wheel drive across the board. Rumor has it that ZF is developing a 10-speed rear wheel drive AT for BMW while Daimler is currently developing their 9-speed RWD AT.
For fuel economy purposes and emissions, start/stop capability will be available with all new upcoming transmissions. An emergence of new clutching systems will be seen in the transmissions to come as well as integrating Electronic Transmission Range Selection systems (ETRS). This means there will be no mechanical link of the shifter lever to the transmission to move a manual valve, nor will there be an external electrical motor used to move a manual valve. Rather, there will be an internal hydraulic system the computer can control to move a mechanical rod in and out of Park. Very much like what BMW uses with ZF 6- and 8-speed transmissions.
Tamba also briefly mentioned a continuation of electrification and modular powertrain approaches regarding hybrid designs (hybridization), and that various technologies will be employed towards efficiency improvements.
Within the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) category, they too will be moving up in speeds from six to a possible 10 high. A migration from dry clutch systems to wet clutch systems will be seen. Honda is developing a wet clutch 8-speed DCT with plans on dropping all AT units in the US market which will be replaced by CVT.
Electro-mechanical controls used in these transmissions will be replaced by electro-hydraulic controls and will use ETRS systems along with modular electrification.
An emergence of multi-mode CVTs will be observed as well as an increased use of wider ratio-spreads. This along with improved efficiency, significant FE/CO2 improvement potential will take place. This is being done in part to satisfy an increasing global demand for energy while stabilizing the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Steel push belts will dominate the CVT market however half-toroidal CVT’s will still be manufactured.
This took Tamba only minutes to cover, but it sure did give a small peek into the future. In just a short read, we see more speeds and greater computer control on its way. It’s all about fuel economy, emission control while continuing to vie for increased sales in the market place.
But this also means automatic transmissions still will be around for quite some time, so the stress to stay on top of the ever changing technology will remain. However, new technology turns to old. When the dust settles from speculation, to sorting out misinformation, the new technology turned old becomes familiar. New equipment and training might be involved as new technology changes the way we do things, but diagnostics and repairs will become attainable. Horses to cars, typewriters to computers, land lines to cell phones, snail mail to e-mail, life moves on and we adapt. Does anyone own an encyclopedia set these days?
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