New Hybrid Transmission Technology from Hyundai
One of the most challenging issues at the stage of development of hybrid powertrains for passenger cars is the performance capacity. The less counterstand there is from the aerodynamics of the car and the powertrain, the longer the car will run on a tank of gas. One area where energy is frequently wasted before it's applied to run the car is the transmission unit.
Hyundai has designed a unique Active Shift Control (ASC) high-tech solution. This innovative product ensures optimization of the transmission performance capacity by keeping track of the gear shifting process five hundred times per second, accurately adapting the rotation rate for improvement of shift times parameters. The new solution will debut in the new Sonata Hybrid and undoubtedly will find application in other hybrid models.
Hyundai engineers managed to implement advanced control algorithm in ASC that directly affects the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU), which then controls the e-motor to sync up the RPM rates of the engine and gearbox for the purpose of significantly decreasing shifting time (approximately by 30%). In addition, this innovative solution also ensures smoother gear shifting despite faster shifting. According to Hyundai officials, this technology can become a real breakthrough in hybrid technologies, which takes the interaction between the powertrain components (e-motor and transmission) to a whole new level. Moreover, it will have a positive impact on fuel economy and driving experience as a whole.
2020 Hyundai Sonata
Hybrid
Standard hybrid cars are not equipped with torque converters for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency, since converters lose energy during the gear shifting operation. Although fuel-saving, hybrids require more time for accurate and smooth gear shifting. The new ASC solution is supposed to deal with this issue. Hyundai's current range of hybrid cars is equipped with DCT transmissions. It is expected that the new transmission solution will attract more attention to hybrid cars of Hyundai and Kia brands from potential customers.
