Gear up for an e-Clutch on board the Tata Kite

• Automatic and smart is what the buyers are after at present. Technologies like AMT have become cost-effective and hence affordable to the customer.
• The upcoming Tata Kite will try to break it down further and come equipped with something called an e-Clutch.
• It has nothing to do with the web world even though it has an “e” in its name. Instead, the system takes over the clutch operation during stop-go traffic, leaving the driver to only deal with gearshifts.
• The eClutch, developed by Bosch in 2013, automates the clutch only, not the transmission. The clutch pedal transmits an electric signal to an actuator, which decouples the clutch and allows drivers using manual transmission to use first gear without using the clutch.
• The driver simply needs to use the brake and gas pedal, just like in an automatic transmission. In addition, the eClutch makes the coasting function possible, which saves fuel.
• The clutch decouples the engine, independent of the driver, from the transmission if the driver is no longer accelerating. The engine then stops. The result is a real fuel saving of 10 percent on average.

Source: motoroids