Decoding Automated Manual Transmission

AMT Gearbox

             Hello friends welcome to my blog http://techsonwheel.blogspot.in/. Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) (also known as clutchless manual transmission or semi-automatic manual transmission) in an automobile transmission that does changes gear automatically rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing the need to press a clutch pedal at the same time as changing gears. It uses electronic sensors, actuators, pneumatics and processors to change gears on the command of driver or by a computer. AMT is not a new system it had early employed in European automobiles before applying it in Indian market.

            

            Maruti Suzuki Celerio is the first car in India to be equipped with AMT technology. This technology is perfect for Indian buyer as it provides a hassle free city commutes without burning a hole in our pocket.  This car was employed in Europe but was successful as the drive was not jerk free or seamless like automatic gearboxes. Moreover the gear shifts per kilometre are fewer than countries like India and they are not obsessed with “Kitna deti hai”. So either they made out with manual gearbox or paid extra a bit for automatic gearbox.

AMT is perfect for technology for India. It gives the driver of peace of mind for clutch less shifts while moving around in metropolitan cities which they die for, it’s also fuel efficient like manual gearbox and it’s a cheap technology that doesn’t increases the price of car too much. Maruti was able to launch Celerio at a price of ₹ 4.3 Lakhs ex-showroom.

The Celerio was first launched in Delhi Auto Expo 2014 by Maruti. The show stopper then was not the car it was the technology that was used in the car to drive it. Maruti Suzuki went on with Magneti Marelli 4^th generation AMT technology because the brains behind the Celerio tells that Magneti Marelli system is an excellent balance between efficiency and cost, that is specially made for Indian market.

In a conventional manual gearbox a set of cables or link usually operates the gearbox in two step processes i.e. selection and engagement of gears. So in Automatic Manual gearbox or AMT essentially replaces the mechanical linkages by electromechanical individual devices that work off the engine management and transmission management control units. The electronically controlled clutch actuator uses an electric motor to operate the clutch instead of a conventional pedal and cable operated setup. The pioneers of the AMT gearbox claims that this setup not only stimulates clutch-less driving but also increases the longevity of clutch components  and increases fuel economy.

In an AMT, the electromechanical or hydraulically operated actuators take over the clutch and the shift action. This is predominantly due to the fact that the driver can still choose to manually engage a particular gear either by shifter lever or by paddle shifters mounted on steering wheel. AMTs also help to reduce the torque intervention during changing gears manually. An array of sensors is present to monitor the driving conditions and gives it to Transmission Control Module or TCU which processes the information and reacts accordingly to the driver based input.

The other Indian brands Tata (with Zest) and Mahindra (with Quanto) have expressed their willingness to adopt AMT as their transmission. But according to reports it says that unlike Celerio’s Magneti Marelli AMT, Tata & Mahindra uses AMT developed by ZF. The AMT system is developed to enhance the driving pleasure without the use of the stick and provide hassle free journey in the busy roads of India without hampering the fuel economy. AMT has a great future in India unlike Europe due its benefits.

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