Having already established itself as a frontrunner in the development of electric vehicles, Renault has now turned to other technologies that can help slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The French manufacturer has developed a new, six-speed, automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) that can currently be seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It offers a 17 per cent improvement in both fuel consumption and emissions performance compared with a conventional automatic transmission.
So how does a dual clutch transmission work?
When the vehicle is moving, one clutch is engaged and transmits engine torque via the selected gear. At the same time, the other clutch remains disengaged but is connected to the next, pre-selected gear. When the moment is right, the gearshift takes places switching from one clutch to the other with the first clutch becoming disengaged just as the second clutch engages. This means that traction is not interrupted during the shift.
Among the key attributes of the DCT is a dual dry clutch combined with electric actuators, as well as specification calibrated to minimise fuel consumption. The dual dry clutch reduces the parasitic friction that is normally apparent on wet clutches and the converters of conventional transmissions.
Renault has optimised gearshift calibration which allows it to achieve low fuel consumption – with a rapid shift up the gears in order to select the highest gear for a given speed, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are minimised.
The company now plans to introduce the DCT in the first quarter of 2010 and will make it available on core-range dCi 110 DPF versions of the New Megane.
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