All of the transmissions available for sale today has grown exponentially within the last 15 years, all while increasing in complexity. The result is usually that we are now dealing with a varied amount of transmitting types including manual, conventional automatic, automated manual, dual clutch, constantly adjustable, split power and genuine EV.
Until very recently, automotive vehicle manufacturers largely had two types of transmitting to choose from: planetary automatic with torque converter or conventional manual. Today, nevertheless, the volume of choices available demonstrates the changes seen over the industry.

This is also illustrated by the countless various kinds of vehicles now being produced for the marketplace. And not simply conventional vehicles, but also all electric and hybrid automobiles, with each type needing different driveline architectures.

The traditional advancement process Driveline gearboxes involved designing a transmission in isolation from the engine and the rest of the powertrain and vehicle. Nevertheless, this is changing, with the restrictions and complications of this method becoming more widely recognized, and the continuous drive among manufacturers and designers to provide optimal efficiency at reduced weight and cost.

New powertrains feature close integration of components like the prime mover, recovery systems and the gearbox, and in addition rely on highly advanced control systems. This is to make certain that the very best degree of efficiency and functionality is delivered at all times. Manufacturers are under increased pressure to create powertrains that are brand new, different from and much better than the last version-a proposition that’s made more complex by the necessity to integrate brand components, differentiate within the market and do it all on a shorter timescale. Engineering groups are on deadline, and the development process needs to be more efficient and fast-paced than previously.
Until now, the use of computer-aided engineering (CAE) has been the most common way to build up drivelines. This process involves components and subsystems designed in isolation by silos within the organization that lean toward proven component-level analysis tools. While these are highly advanced tools that enable users to extract very dependable and accurate data, they remain presenting data that is collected without concern of the whole system.

While this may produce components that all work very well individually, putting them with each other without prior account of the entire program can create designs that don’t work, leading to issues in the driveline that are difficult and expensive to correct.