ZeroShift Ltd: New gearbox shifts in zero milliseconds and blitzes road test
London, July 16 -- ZeroShift Ltd, a UK company, has successfully road tested its radical new shift technology. The time of a gearshift is the period during which drive is interrupted while the next ratio is selected. In the case of ZeroShift(TM), that period is ZERO time. A ZeroShift(TM) gearbox (patents pending) provides an uninterrupted shift, the fastest possible gearshift.
By way of comparison, the dual clutch transmission (DCT) recently released in the Audi TT V6 is no quicker than a good driver using a conventional manual. The same can be said of the BMW SMG, the F1 system in the Ferrari 360 and the Aston Martin Vanquish automated manual transmission (AMT). A car fitted with ZeroShift will convincingly out-accelerate any otherwise identical vehicle - smoothly.
Even current F1 cars take around 60 milliseconds (0.06 secs) for a complete shift sequence that involves an (audible) engine power cut. F1 fans will appreciate that this is a long time to lose on every shift.
ZeroShift Ltd is so confident of the new technology (recently road tested in a TVR Cerbera 4.5) that the company plans to fit a standard 225bhp Audi TT with the system and race it against the new TT V6 DSG (DCT) in front of the media to prove the point. The automotive media has praised the Audi DSG gearbox as the future of transmissions. Watch this space!
ZeroShift represents a radically different engineering approach. Where AMT adds weight and complexity around the gearbox and DCT adds weight and complexity inside the gearbox, ZeroShift addresses the switching of ratios more fundamentally. In simple terms, ZeroShift components replace synchromesh components. AMT and DCT transmissions are merely complex ways of operating 80-year-old synchromesh.
ZeroShift Technical Director Bill Martin says: 'AMT and DCT are just faster steam trains - as a consequence, they are heavier and more expensive to make and maintain.'
On the road, according to the ZeroShift team, the performance is 'amazing'. ZeroShift spokesman Phil James describes it: 'What you get is acceleration, acceleration, acceleration through the gears. That's instead of acceleration, declutch, yaw, acceleration, declutch... in a conventional manual; or acceleration, slur, acceleration... in an auto.
'The difference in performance and feel is very noticeable with the TVR Cerbera where, with the conventional gearbox, the violent acceleration through the low gears really emphasises the yaw of de-clutching between first and second gear accelerations. With ZeroShift, the car just keeps accelerating - it's pretty addictive! You lose no momentum or sense of thrust through the gear-changes. Two ZeroShift gear-changes between standstill and 100mph are worth more than a second.'
A standard Cerbera 4.5 has been timed at 8.4 secs to 100mph, so McLaren F1 drivers should not be complacent if they see a chrome ZeroShift badge on the car beside them at the lights. To wring the best 0-100 time from the F1 needs deft gear-changing skills - the ZeroShift driver will have optimum shifts, every shift. This will be the badge to look out for!
ZeroShift is about much more than going faster, though. The performance advantage is a factor of the efficiency of the system that provides other benefits too, including emissions reduction, lower fuel consumption and smoothness. Bill Martin: 'Emissions and fuel consumption are spiked by conventional gear-changes because the off-then-on action on the accelerator pedal momentarily enriches the fuel mix. ZeroShift does not need the off-and-on gas action. The smoothness issue is one of the ZeroShift system's strongest suits. Shifts are imperceptible, other than noticing change in engine note.'
ZeroShift is able to modify existing transmissions for rapid introduction to the market. But a gearbox developed to fully exploit the ZeroShift system would be considerably smaller and lighter than whatever gearbox it is designed to replace.
Unlike other 'revolutionary' gearbox concepts, a ZeroShift transmission is based on a donor manual gearbox, albeit with extensive internal modifications. No changes to the clutch or bell housing are required. As a consequence, a ZeroShift gearbox can fit straight into a car. Furthermore, ZeroShift can be operated by a conventional stick shift, by column-mounted paddles, or it can be fully automated to work like a conventional automatic. The development car is using its standard H-gate stick shift.
Phil James: 'ZeroShift is smooth for luxury cars, fast for supercars (including motorsport) and economical for minis. With the same engineering element at its core, only the shift strategy changes to suit the application. We think you will see a variety of new supercars offered with ZeroShift from as early as 2005.'
Media enquiries:
HOT Ltd, 7 Darin Court, Crownhill Business Park, Milton Keynes MK8 0AD E: zeroshift@worldofhot.com T: +44 1908 260740 F: +44 1908 260749
Contact details:
Phil James, ZeroShift Ltd, The Coplan Building, Michigan Drive, Tongwell, Milton Keynes MK15 8HQ E: phil.james@zeroshift.com T: +44 7831 276832 W: http://www.zeroshift.com/