AVL foresees demand for hybrid 7-mode transmission

Austrian technology major AVL showcased its all-new, seven-mode, hybrid transmission concept prototype at the SIAT 2015 Expo, held in Pune last month.

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Dr Raimund Ellinger, manager for hybrid and system design, AVL, said the innovative hybrid transmission concept has been designed with the intention of deriving the benefits of hybrid with planetary gear set and parallel hybrid systems.

This concept deploys only one electric motor instead of two (as used by Toyota hybrid systems), and replaces the permanent synchronous motor with an induction machine. That, according to Ellinger, works in favour of cost as well as weight reduction. Other features of this concept include two speeds for battery electric driving ICE (internal combustion engine) for best e-motor efficiency and three ICE speeds with shifting without perceptible power loss.

This seven-mode transmission concept, which is currently being evaluated on test beds, is essentially designed for applications in the plug-in hybrid cars. In its prototype stage, AVL has tested this future hybrid transmission concept with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder TGDI powertrain with a rated power output of 66Kw at 3500rpm.

Dr Ellinger believes that given the transmission technologies that are currently popular in India, this future hybrid concept may find relevance in the local market by 2020.