Hyundai Reveals Advanced Transmission for Hybrids

Hyundai develops what it calls the world’s first active shift control transmission technology for hybrid vehicles and says it is set for mass production.

The technology “optimizes transmission efficiency by monitoring gear shifts 500 times a second, precisely adjusting the transmission rotation speed” for faster shift times, the automaker says.

The system will premiere in the upcoming Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and eventually will be used in other Hyundai and Kia hybrids.

“ASC applies new control logic software to the hybrid control unit, which then controls the electric motor to align the rotational speeds of the engine and transmission to reduce gear shift time 30%,” Hyundai says. It also delivers smoother gear changes in spite of quicker shift times.

With the synchronization, shift time is reduced from 500 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds. Hyundai says this not only improves hybrid vehicles’ acceleration performance and fuel economy but also durability of the transmission by minimizing friction during gear shift.

“The development of world’s first ASC technology is a remarkable innovation which incorporates precise motor control to the automatic transmission,” says KyoungJoon Chang, Hyundai vice president and head of Powertrain Control System Group.

“It will not only save fuel but also provide a more fun driving experience for our customers,” Chang says in a statement.

Conventional hybrid vehicles lack torque converters to further improve fuel economy because torque converters lose energy during the process of transmission. “Although fuel-efficient, such a system also requires longer shift times to ensure smoother gear changes,” Hyundai says.