Society extends Zoom platform to satisfy increasing demand for places.
Allison Transmission became the latest company to host a technical lecture on the Society’s enhanced Zoom platform to show how powertrains have evolved worldwide.
Nathan Wilson, Market Development Manager at Allison Transmission, delivered the lecture to a large group of road transport engineers in July. The presentation helped to explain why market trends for medium and heavy-duty trucks are changing towards power train automation.
Due to the cost reduction of battery technologies, there is now no single solution to the choice of powertrain. Alternatives to the internal combustion engine have become viable as more advanced technology has enabled range extended electric, battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles to the commercial market. A transmission will always be required regardless of powertrain type, said Nathan.
The need for greater fuel economy, concerns over emissions, weight considerations and the push for smaller displacements have all impacted the development of engine power over the last five decades.
Truck powertrain downsizing trends and their influence on transmissions were shown to the audience in a series of detailed graphs. Europe, North America and China are all moving towards a market dominated by automatic and auto manual transmissions (AT, AMT), while South America, Russia and India are still experiencing moderate to high growth in manual transmissions (MT).
Nathan completed his presentation by giving an overview of Allison Transmission’s operations, and its presence across the globe, before he took questions from the audience.
For more information on the Society’s new online technical lecture series, or to find out how to register your interest in delivering your own presentation, email: membership@soe.org.uk