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Ford patents 11-speed automatic gearbox, how many gears does one need?!

2017 Ford F150 Raptor (3)

2017 Ford F-150 Raptor could get a 10-speed automatic transmission.

In October of 2013, Ford filed for a patent that would allow them to manufacture an automatic transmission with eleven gears. That’s right, eleven gears! We had just wrapped our petrolheads around the idea of 9-speeds in a transmission, but it seems that Ford wanted something a bit more ostentatious. A gearbox that would have cogs in double digits, so eleven it is then! The favourite number of cogs in a gearbox right now is nine. New Land Rover products such as the latest Range Rover Evoque and the brand new Land Rover Discovery Sport house a ZF 9-speed automatic gearbox. When ZF launched the 9-speed gearbox in 2012, the company’s CEO admitted that 9-speeds is more than enough, considering the whole system’s complexity and weight. Clearly, Ford doesn’t seem to agree to this “natural limit” law for gearboxes.

2017 Ford F150 Raptor

The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor will mostly use a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

Ford says that they have only patented the technology for this manic gearbox with a zillion ratios, but haven’t planned on implementing it on any of their future products, as yet. That said, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup will mostly come equipped with a new 10-speed setup. A spokesperson for the carmaker said in a statement, “As a technology leader, we submit patents on innovative ideas as a normal course of business. Patent submissions help protect our new ideas but do not necessarily indicate future business or product plans.”

2015 Volkswagen Jetta facelift DSG (1)

Current day 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions offer good drivability and frugality.

Honestly, how many cogs does a modern car need to get moving and achieve respectable fuel economy? Surely there must be a cap to how many gears a car can or rather should have, before the computer controlling it freezes and says, “OK, I quit!” Only time will decide on that and whether Ford plans to execute their patent for real, remains to be seen.

Source – autoguide

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