The shifting speed of Volvo’s I-Shift has been increased, the manufacturer has revealed.
Specifically, the ‘box shifts up to 30% faster than before.
As a result, drivers benefit from smoother shifts while out on the road.
Furthermore, there are addition advantages in driveability in heavy-duty trucks.
Gearboxes offering the increased shifting speed have been added to drivelines at all emission levels.
Therefore, drivers of diesel and electric trucks will experience the improvements.
The update includes faster clutch activation, resulting in a shorter torque interruption.
The improvements were outlined by Pär Bergstrand, heavy duty transmission manager at Volvo Trucks.
“Faster gear shifting makes it possible to optimise the gear selection more efficiently.
“In addition, the more shifting events that the road and terrain requires, the more the improvements will be appreciated by the driver.
“With up to 30% faster gear changing drivers will certainly experience a very positive difference.”
The high-speed shifting is achieved based on several key improvements.
Firstly, updated sensors now provide data with higher accuracy to the control unit.
This unit features new software and a faster microprocessor, for much quicker calculation times.
Secondly, an added disc in the gearbox brake makes it react faster before a gear shift.
Finally, the air volume has also been reduced in different actuation systems.
For example, the shift forks, the clutch and the gearbox brake help to improve shifting speeds.
In 2001, I-Shift was introduced as the first-ever automated transmission designed for heavy duty trucks.
Since then, it has undergone continuous improvements to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
In other words, these latest faster shifting speeds are part of an ongoing process with Volvo R&D.
Concluding, Bergstrand said: “I-Shift has had an outstanding ability to solve more and more advanced tasks in efficient ways.
