The automated Manual Transmission or AMT technology is doing really well in India on four-wheelers. It eases out the operations for the driver on the traffic-laden roads in our country. So it wouldn't be preposterous if we thought that similar technology can be adapted to use motorcycles as well. We believe that TVS is all set to introduce motorcycles in India with a semi-automated manual transmission or SMT as they call it. The company had filed a patent application in 2009 for the same and they received it now in 2016, after 7 years. The Jive was the first motorcycle in India to be launched without a clutch and it was a product from TVS.
The technology is simple. One just has to push a button on the handlebar to switch between gears. Once the button is pushed, an electromechanical actuator is activated which does the job of switching gears. TVS might also give two buttons, one for upshifting and one for downshifting. The patent also says that there will be fuel savings of upto 2-5 per cent as the fuel wastage because of clutch slips will be no more. Also, the patent description adds that it might be of some benefit for differently-abled users. The patent says that there will be no need to alter the overall design and functioning of a motorcycle that might be fitted with TVS' SMT technology.
TVS says the SMT technology can be adapted for use in three-wheelers as well. There is no doubt that technology is growing leaps and bounds in the two-wheeler segment in our country. While there is no mention of by when TVS will launch a motorcycle with its patented SMT technology, but we can be sure that it will be sooner than later. There has been no official communication from TVS, who understandably, would want to keep it under wraps until they are ready to confirm it.
