Introduction to CVTs( Continusously Variable Transmissions)

History and Development of CVTs

The first CVT in the world was designed by Leonardo Davinci in 1490 called the NuVinci Transmission although a physical module was never made it was only a sketch until the 1950’s when a Dutch inventor utilized this same design to drive the transmission of a car. But as vehicles progressed it was realized that this particular system could not utilized in high power vehicles and therefore till the 1960’s where automotive industry giants General Motors invented a new C.V.T design called the Torodial C.V.T which worked on the same principles as the NuVinci Transmission. Although they had come up with the design in the late 1930’s after extensive tests they scarped the idea because of cost concerns but they had overcome the flaws in DaVinci’s design: a CVT designed to sustain high torques and speeds.

Even though General Motors had solved one problem with the C.V.T there were many others that still existed. After the 1960’s the idea of CVT’s was considered bogus due to its rough start, loud noise, unreliability at high torques and speeds due to slippage. Plus other companies that had come up with automatic transmissions that had a promising future and the cost of manufacturing a CVT was very high.

Initially no company invested in the research and development until the 1970’s when Nissan with the help of modern technology solved a lot of the problems of a C.V.T and made the world realize that even though the technology had its flaws it was a irreplaceably efficient concept for a smooth and fuel efficient automatic transmission for cars. When there testing and research they had designed a CVT that was quite, fuel efficient, could handle high torques and consequently speeds. After this particular research the world of automation turned their heads to the once infamous technology of CVTs.