Comparative analysis of automatic transmission and manual transmission behaviour on the worldwide harmonized light duty test cycle

The European Commission has been actively involved in the development of the World-wide harmonized Light duty Test Cycle (WLTC). The aim of that project was to develop a harmonized light duty test cycle, that represents the average driving characteristics around the world and to have a legislative world-wide-harmonized procedure put in place from 2017 and onwards for determining the level of CO2 emissions. This work presents the results of the effect of automatic and manual transmissions as a drivetrain of a light duty vehicle on WLTC driving cycle. AVL Cruise software was used as simulation platform to analyse the CO2 level and fuel consumption of dynamic vehicle model using different type of drivetrains. At first the simulation tool and the most influential parameters of the driving cycle procedure are described. In the second phase various components and modules for both dynamic models using automatic and manual transmission, as well as the respective input parameters, were defined. Analyses are based on a developed dynamic vehicle model in AVL Cruise. Finally, the simulation results were evaluated and presented for the two dynamic models according to a legislative driving cycle to provide the basis fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions