ZF equip Renault Duster with a New Hybrid Transmission
The German company ZF, one of the world’s leading suppliers of components for the automotive industry, has recently showcased its new hybrid transmission eAMT. This product is intended for budgetary FWD vehicles. The structure of this transmission includes a standard automated gearbox with one clutch and an e-motor on the rear axle. The experimental model of the eAMT was installed on the crossover Renault Duster.
Basic scheme of the ZF product
ZF software applies control on the networking and adjustment of the IC-engine, e-motor and gearbox. The eAMT is especially appropriate for running on township roads, creep mode in road traffic congestions as well as maneuvering and parking in general. Essentially, the automated gearbox with one clutch is a usual manual gearbox, where the gear shifting fork and clutch are driven by the automatic mechanism. Carmakers are fond of AMTs because of their simple structure and moderate cost of production. But this solution also has significant drawbacks: delays and jerks in the process of gear shifting caused by interruptions in torque delivery. In addition, the clutch in AMTs is notable for its low reliability.
But according to ZF specialists, they managed to eliminate all shortcomings of the automated transmission in the eAMT product. The e-motor operation is actuated every time when the clutch is interrupted. Thus, ZF engineers managed to get rid of jerks during the process of gear shifting. The electric drive of the rear wheels is also actuated in other situations: in cases of sharp accelerations, when an additional impulse is required, or when the front wheels slip on a slippery surface. The demonstration car is designed as a plug-in hybrid vehicle. It has all operation modes typical for hybrids: driving in pure electric mode, coasting, automatic motor switch-off and energy recuperation during braking.
That’s how ZF system
components are located in the car
The ZF solution combines an AMT and an electric axle actuating system on the rear axle into single unit. In some car models, automatic gearboxes are absolutely inappropriate because of their heaviness, dimensions or high price. Therefore, introduction of the eAMT is a suitable approach to substantially enhance comfort and performance capacity for car owners, as they are free from necessity to engage the clutch or change gears. However, there is no particular information about the launch date of the eAMT mass production. The key features of eAMTs are moderate cost and space-saving design, so ZF specialists expect that the new hybrid gearbox solution will be widely used in mini cars with east-west engine positioning.
