The Jeep Renegade and Compass and Fiat 500X and Tipo will soon have 48-volt hybrid variants, according to a release from Magna, which is supplying their hybrid transmissions.
Magna, a global parts maker headquartered in Canada, bid on Chrysler but lost out to Cerberus.
The Magna hybrid transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch setup which can split torque between the combustion engine and electric motor. Cars can run on 100% combustion or 100% electric. The new transmission has independent, on-demand clutch and motor cooling; a single circuit provides oil for both boiling and lubrication. Magna claims “significant CO2 reductions in WLTC and real-world driving.”
Stellantis and Magna have a multi-program agreement, according to the release. These particular transmissions will be made in Slovakia.
Seems like a lot of engineering work and expense for a measly 48 V. How much is actually gained with only 48 V?
Just looked it up seems like a neat design. BMW started using them back in the Spring. The 48 V motor is not big (it does say its rated for 230nm which would be like 170 ft lbs) but it runs at high rpm and can use a different gear then the primary motor using the dual clutch system. The system also allows the motor to completely disconnect or be EV only (I’m guessing it will be low speed only given the motor size). Despite being 48V it looks like it should act more like a normal hybrid then the mild hybrids like the e torque.
hopefully that ” double clutch ” works better than the ” ford ” trans did .
Hybridization for ICE vehicles is going to be key for their survival. After reading this article I headed over to the actual website for both Magna and ZF. It all makes alot more sense in the grand scheme of things. With the new platforms all being electrified or completely electric, alot of companies are going to be moving to muti-speed transmissions for the new powertrains to add range and driving experience. The new 4th Gen ZF 8HP is a modular unit with adaptability for hybridization and will be behind any I.C.E powertrain on the STLA large/STLA frame platform. There is a variant of the ZF hybrid 8-speed in BMW which adds roughly 33hp and 15lb-ft of torque in the BMW 330e vs 330i. And while this is just a rough guestimate, if a similar system were used behind the two Hurricane powerplants, the Hurricane S.O would produce roughly 453hp/483tq while the Hurricane S.O would produce 543hp and 515tq but more so than that if the car can run on full electric for a time, it also would give whatever muscle car or truck this hybrid powertrain system is in the ability to run on full electric power, which in turn would make it “greener,” reducing CO2 and increasing range.
Agreed, and even a small amount of added power can help smooth things out… and add regenerative braking.