eClutch: manual transmission in a Hybrid

[P-hack]

The marketing verbiage is way off (which is unfortunate because this looks extremely practical). Looks like a clutch pedal sensor and servo.

It may do a "better" job of engaging the clutch, can auto coast, now if it can still bump start a nearly dead battery (or at all) that would be golden. A welcome sight to me, now if only they can go back to 1940 and make us forget the torque converter ever happened

[gone-ot]

IMHO, the "clutch" function should be a pressure-sensitive switch *IN* the manual transmission shifter handle: As you squeeze the handle, it disengages the electric clutch so you can shove the shifter lever into the next gear...and it then re-engages the electric clutch as you release pressure on the shifter handle.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

IMHO, the "clutch" function should be a pressure-sensitive switch *IN* the manual transmission shifter handle: As you squeeze the handle, it disengages the electric clutch so you can shove the shifter lever into the next gear...and it then re-engages the electric clutch as you release pressure on the shifter handle.

In a similar way to the system used by Volkswagen in its semi-automatic transmission from the 70s.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by cbaber

The first gen HCH and insight cannot operate only on electric power like a Prius, or at least that is what I understand.

That's approximately true. (You can get an Insight to move under electric only under some circumstances, especially if you have a MIMA system installed, but it's certainly not practical.) The question is why on Earth you would ever want to (bar significantly upsizing the battery pack). It's far more efficient to use the system as designed, with the electric motor assisting the IC engine.