These no longer come with the drawbacks of the classic automatic transmissions that use torque converters (fuel consumption and emissions increase, as well as longer shifting times), while offering an improved comfort for the driver. In addition to that, they also provide an increase for the level of driving safety, as the power is continuously transmitted to the driven wheels.
Now, the dual-clutch gearbox has made its way into the trucks segment, with Daimler’s Fuso brand offering the first dual-clutch transmission for this type of vehicle.
“As with a fully automatic transmission it is a two-pedal system, there is an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and a selector lever. The selector lever allows automatic or manual gearshift mode to be selected,” stated the press release.
Dubbed Duonic transmission (or M038S6, if you like), the gearbox has six forward gears and a reverse gear. It uses a wet clutch and offers multiple functions. This include a P-function (for parking) and a creep function (this facilitates slow parking maneuvers).
“The P-function ensures safe parking by preventing the vehicle from rolling away. "Duonic" features a non-wearing wet clutch, which lowers maintenance costs by eliminating the need to replace worn clutch discs. A creep function has been added to the wet clutch, as is usual for automatic transmission with a torque converter. This enables the vehicle’s speed to be easily controlled when moving slowly - for example when manoeuvring or in stop-and-go traffic - and hill-starts are also made easier,” stated the press release.
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