Volkswagen goes greener with new manual gearbox

The MQ281 gearbox will be fitted to the new Passat, which is due to launch in September. It will later be added to almost all of the vehicle classes within the Volkswagen Group.

Depending on the engine and vehicle combination, the gearbox can save up to five grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, according to Helmut Göbbels, head of manual gearbox and 4-wheel-drivetrain development at Volkswagen.

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This includes “downspeeding”, or driving in high gears at low engine speed in order to save fuel.

“The gearbox must play its part in the continuous improvement of the overall vehicle´s fuel consumption,” Göbbels said.

To develop the new gearbox, Volkswagen’s engineers used computer modelling techniques, including simulating transmission fluid flow in order to ensure uniform and optimum lubrication of all necessary components under all operating conditions, Göbbels added.

“The delivery action as well as the turbulence generated by rotors such as gears were simulated with this method,” he said. “The simulation focused particularly on operating ranges with a low engine speed, which pose particularly demanding requirements regarding transmission fluid delivery.”