General Motors Front Wheel Drive 2-Mode Hybrid Transmission

Authors

M. Cisternino, GM Powertrain Europe, Turin; J. Hendrickson, A. Holmes, General Motors Corporation, Pontiac, USA

Year

2009

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Reihe 12, Nr. 697

Summary

General Motors now expands the application of two-mode hybrid technology to front wheel drive vehicles with the development of a hybrid electric transmission packaged into essentially the same space as a conventional automatic transmission for front wheel drive. This was accomplished using a space-efficient arrangement based on two planetary gear sets and electric motor-generators with large internal diameters. A combination of damper and hydraulically-controlled clutch allow comfortable shutdown and restarting of large-displacement engines in front wheel drive vehicles. The hybrid system delivers electric low-speed urban driving, two continuously variable ranges of transmission speed ratios, four fixed transmission speed ratios, electric acceleration boosting, and regenerative braking. In the first vehicle application, the two-mode hybrid helps to reduce vehicle fuel consumption by approximately one-third.

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