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GM Files Patent For A Clutch On Electric Vehicles

GM has filed a patent for a new system capable of controlling a clutch in an electric vehicle (EV) transmission using modular actuation. The patent application was assigned patent number US 2024/0159280 A1 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and was published on May 16th, 2024. The patent was originally filed on November 10th, 2022, and lists several U.S.-based engineers as the inventors, including Dongxu Li, Michael Ding, Bryan John Williams, Chunhao J. Lee, and Zhen J. Zhang.

The patent describes a system aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of EVs by providing precise control over the clutch operation. The system description includes components like an electric motor, a clutch, an actuator device, and a processor. The clutch engages and disengages to help control the vehicle’s power flow and transmission.

GM patent image describing a new system capable of controlling a clutch in an electric vehicle transmission using modular actuation.

The system starts by receiving a pressure signal that indicates the fluid pressure needed to operate the clutch. Using this pressure signal, the processor calculates the optimal position for a piston within the actuator device. The piston moves to this position to control the clutch, while the actuator moves the piston to engage or disengage the clutch based on the calculated position.

The system includes features to adjust the piston’s position based on factors like temperature, motor speed, gear shifts, and feedback from the clutch. This helps to ensure precise control and smooth operation.

By precisely controlling the clutch, the system can optimize the power flow from the electric motor, enhancing overall vehicle efficiency. The ability to make real-time adjustments ensures smoother gear shifts, which can improve the driving experience.

The patent also highlights how traditional clutch systems can cause instability, whereas the method described in the patent minimizes such issues by continuously monitoring and adjusting the clutch’s operation.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. Sounds like Mark might get his wet dream of an EV Camaro Sedan (roll eyes emote).

    I guess I’ll grab a s650 GT down the line instead.

    Reply
    1. A lot of this article doesn’t make sense. Electric cars don’t have clutches because they don’t need to change gears.

      Reply
      1. Permanent magnet motors are more efficient than induction motors, yet can’t be turned off while coasting like induction motors can. This means that there is significant waste in permanent magnet motors. Teslas solution is a 2/3 motor system with one 20HP magnet motor for crusising, and induction power motors. That’s an expensive solution. Or you just have a cheap clutch to decouple the motor when not in use.

        Reply
    2. I’m waiting to see what this hybrid Mustang will be about before buying anything else new right now.

      Reply
  2. The idea of a clutch is unworth of top mamagement making 10’s of millions per year. Why don’t they address and cure range axiety? When automobiles wewre instituted they often had two spare tires, which were often needed. Eventually the need subsided and with run flats, the spare is no longer needed. What EV’s now need is a “spare engine”, not the 4-valve, turbocharged emgine common to hybrids that can run the car well over 100 mph.

    I love my Lyriq and as a former professional race car driver, don’t miss shifting, hell and toeing, etc. and am very comfortable with, and appreciative of, one pedal driving. However, like all EV owners and those who are hesitant, I worry about not being able to reach a charging station and the possibility of very long waits or problems if I do. What EV’s need to make their sales soar is a “spare engine”; a little more powerful that the ones in gas powered golf carts, with a similar variable, belt drive to the front wheels and with a two or three gallon gas tank that is factory filled with a pint of Stabil because that gas will be in the tank for years. The owner’s manual should tell owners to run the spare engine for 5 miutes each six months..

    The tiny engine could power the EV to about 40 MPH in the right lane, drive it over 100 miles and avoid the dreaded ride on a flat bed. For only about 175 pounds of added weight and maybe $450 in parts cost, range anxity would be eliminated.

    Reply
  3. It appears to me that this has nothing to do with a transmission specifically designed for an electric motor. It appears to be a control for the actuation and deactuation of a clutch so that the driver doesn’t have to be ‘skilled’ at gently feathering the clutch in and out. An electric motor with a broad flat torque curve has less need for shifting gears than a IC engine with a narrow torque band.

    Reply

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