More and more automakers are starting to offer AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) features.
However, some truck drivers have reservations about AMT models, believing that they will have higher fuel consumption and are not easily disabled. So, besides reducing driving fatigue, what other benefits does AMT offer?
Let’s take a look together today.
1. Reduced Risk of Operational Errors
With the upgrades to China VI emission standards and intelligent features, new requirements have been placed on vehicle powertrains. Taking China VI as an example, to reduce after-processing malfunctions caused by improper operation, automakers have upgraded vehicle configurations from the source, increasing the number of AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) vehicles to reduce the risk of operational errors.
AMT reduces the likelihood of stalling, allowing the engine to operate at a normal speed and preventing engine stalling that could affect after-processing. It is foreseeable that the number of AMT vehicles installed will increase significantly during the China VI era.
2. Reduced Fatigue
Many novice truck drivers have experienced difficulty starting and slight rollback on inclines due to unfamiliarity with clutch and accelerator coordination, heavy loads, or steep inclines. The combination of an automatic transmission and hill start assist easily solves this problem, allowing for a smooth uphill climb.
3. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Intelligent Features
AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), lane keeping assist, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), lane departure warning, and many other features all rely on AMT.
Take Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) as an example. To achieve automatic following, adjustments to the vehicle’s speed are necessary, involving changes in engine speed and transmission gears. Without an Automatic Manual Transmission (AMT), this function is essentially impossible.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) works on the same principle. Without AMT, AEB is merely a one-time function and cannot reach its full potential.
4. Consistent Fuel Efficiency in the Long Term
Humans are not machines; they experience fatigue. If we consider fuel efficiency as 100 points, and assume 8 hours of driving per day, manual gear shifting might achieve 100 points in the first 2 hours. However, over time, due to fatigue, the score might drop to 60 or even 50 points.
An AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) is a machine. As long as the hardware doesn’t malfunction, it will never experience fatigue or be affected by prolonged driving.
While an AMT might only achieve a score of 80 or 90 out of 100 compared to manual shifting at its best, because it’s a machine, it doesn’t experience fatigue and maintains a consistent performance of 80-90 from start to finish.
Therefore, the output of an AMT is consistently stable. Over its entire lifespan, an AMT is fuel-efficient, compensating for the fuel consumption lost by the driver due to prolonged driving.
5. AMT is the first choice for vehicles meeting China VI emission standards and equipped with intelligent features
For vehicles meeting China VI emission standards, AMT is highly recommended, as it reduces the relative failure rate of after-processors.
Secondly, for vehicles equipped with intelligent features, AMT is strongly advised; otherwise, these features will not function effectively.
6. AMT is especially suitable for long-distance transportation
Given the current state of transportation in China and the current technology of AMT, it is suitable for most operating conditions, especially for medium- and long-distance transportation. AMT combined with intelligent features can reduce driving intensity and lower fuel consumption.
