German supplier Continental has announced a collaboration with US transmission maker Fallbrook Technologies to develop the North American company’s NuVinci transmission technology for vehicle applications.
Rudolf Stark, head of the transmission business unit in the Continental powertrain division, said, “This collaboration with Fallbrook will provide us with the opportunity to expand our business activities in the area of private urban mobility. The aim is to develop new electromechanical transmission solutions for urban transport on the basis of this continuously variable automatic transmission.”
Fallbrook’s NuVinci transmission uses rotating balls arranged in a circle, located between the input and output components of the transmission. Tilting the balls changes their contact diameter and therefore the transmission ratio. NuVinci transmissions can be configured to replace various types of planetary transmissions with a compact unit that can improve system efficiency.
The company says that the technology can be used to develop customized products for a wide range of applications – from stationary devices and bicycles to vehicles.
November 24, 2015