Volvo Trucks increases I-Shift gearbox shifting speed

Volvo Trucks’ intelligent and automated I-Shift gearbox is now “faster than ever”, the Swedish truck maker has said. The quicker response provides improved driveability and smoothness to the driving of both diesel and electric heavy-duty trucks.

This improvement, which has been added to drivelines at all emission levels, is achieved by the new way in which the I-Shift gearbox interacts with the engine.

The update includes faster clutch activation that results in a shorter torque interruption. It also makes the gear shifting smoother, for a more harmonious driving experience.

Pär Bergstrand, heavy duty transmission manager at Volvo Trucks said: “Faster gear shifting makes it possible to optimise the gear selection more efficiently. And the more shifting events that the road and terrain requires, the more the improvements will be appreciated by the driver. With up to 30 per cent faster gear changing now possible using I-Shift, drivers will certainly experience a very positive difference.”

The high-speed shifting is achieved based on several key improvements. First, updated sensors now provide data with higher accuracy to the control unit, which features new software and a faster microprocessor, for much quicker calculation times.

Second, an added disc in the gearbox brake makes it react faster before a gear shift, so it can be done earlier.

Finally, the air volume has also been reduced in different actuation systems, for example the shift forks, the clutch and the gearbox brake, to further enable a faster gear shift.

When the I-Shift was introduced in 2001, it was the first-ever automated transmission designed for heavy duty trucks. Today, all heavy-duty Volvo trucks are built with I-Shift as standard.