New OGeco hybrid transmission is a space-saver

Finding space for an electric motor, battery, and all the controls that go with them while still providing sufficient 5-passenger cabin room and trunk/luggage capacity is a challenge.

Space fiction has become part of some auto companies' description of hybrids. Finding space for an electric motor, battery, and all the controls that go with them while still providing sufficient 5-passenger cabin room and trunk/luggage capacity is not easy. And that means the hybrid versions of some sedans suffer in useful cargo space. But at Oerlikon Graziano, Claudio Torrelli, Head of Product Development, says far better packaging can be achieved. And to demonstrate it, the company recently fitted a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with its new OGeco transmission that integrates a 120-kW (161-hp) electric motor within the same space as a conventional transmission. The integration saw the electric motor installed deep in the gearbox and changing of the layout of the gearbox itself.

The OGeco transmission is a 2-shaft configuration with one secondary shaft, whereas the dual-clutch (DCT) is a 3-shaft with two secondary shafts.