Autoclutch for Transits
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by Charles Young • Ford will have a new Autoclutch system available as an option on 69 and 75hp Transits this spring.
The Autoclutch is said to extend clutch and transmission life with no adverse effects on fuel economy. On an Autoclutch Transit the clutch pedal and actuating cable is replaced with an electronically controlled hydraulic system linked to an accelerator position sensor, As the driver grasps the gear lever a pressure sensor tells the system that a change is about to be made; as the lever is moved the clutch is disengaged.
Limit switches built into the gear lever assembly follow the movement of the lever to identify which gear has been selected and pass on this information to the control unit.
As the vehicle comes to a standstill the clutch is disengaged at the optimum time to provide maximum engine braking without stalling.
A warning buzzer sounds if the wrong gear has been selected, but the selection cannot be overridden by the system.
Autoclutch has been developed over two years by Ford and UK-based AP Kongsberg. The launch follows a similar move by lveco last May.
Iveco's Free system for its Daily range of panel vans is a £900 option and operated in a similar way to Ford's Autoclutch.
A brief drive of that system showed that automated clutches can certainly improve a vehide's driveability.