AI concept illustrationStop-go traffic, without the clutch work
Switch to manual with automated clutch, or to automatic, and PGT handles every engagement while you keep choosing how to drive.
In the modes your vehicle offers.
PGT Polymorphic Gear Transmission One transmission platform. Three ways to drive.
PGT keeps a real clutch and a real gearbox, and changes who commands them: you, the car, or the two of you together.
- ManualYou shift. You clutch.
- Manual with automated clutchYou shift. PGT clutches.
- AutomaticPGT shifts and clutches.
Patented transmission concept
AI concept illustration
Rethinking how we drive. And how transmissions are built.
Polymorphic means taking many forms. PGT gives one transmission several ways of being driven, without replacing the hardware drivers and workshops already understand.
What stays
- A physical clutch and a real gearbox
- The clutch pedal and gear lever drivers already know
- You steer, accelerate and brake in every mode
What changes
- Pedal and lever send requests, not forces
- A control unit reads them together with live engine data
- Actuators move the clutch and select gears, in every mode
Three ways to take the wheel.
Pick a mode and watch who sends each request. The physical clutch and gearbox stay in place every time; only the source of the command changes.
Press the clutch pedal and choose your gears. A sensor reads how far you press, and the control unit turns that into electronically actuated clutch movement.
- Gears
- You
- Clutch
- You
- Clutch pedal
- Fitted, input active
Illustrative control allocation, not a vehicle control. Available modes and switching rules vary by vehicle.
For drivers: choose your involvement.
From pedal-led driving to a fully automatic commute, PGT is designed to let the same car match the road, the traffic and the mood you are in.
AI concept illustration
AI concept illustrationKeep the pedal when you want it
In manual, the clutch pedal becomes a sensed request. Its feel is designed separately from the clutch release load, so it can stay light and consistent.
Pedal feel is tuned for each vehicle.
AI concept illustrationHelp on slopes and slow starts
Creep in first and reverse, hill-start support and an anti-stall response are part of the concept, coordinated with engine and brake data.
Subject to vehicle configuration and validation.
For manufacturers: one compatible platform, more product choices.
PGT lets a vehicle programme explore several driving experiences around shared transmission hardware and controls, and decide which ones each variant offers.
One PGT platform
- Manual
- Manual with automated clutch
- Automatic
- All three modes
Offer one, two or all three modes
Configure a dedicated manual, a dedicated automatic or a multi-mode variant from the same transmission architecture.
Share hardware and know-how
Explore reuse of the clutch, gearbox, actuators, controls and service knowledge across variants of a compatible programme.
Design the controls for the car
Driver inputs are sensed, so pedal feel and selector layout can be designed independently of gearbox packaging.
A clearer view of the clutch
The concept learns changes in the engagement point and raises a service alert at a configured threshold.
Reuse is a programme-specific opportunity. Any saving depends on integration, added electronics, validation, production and lifecycle costs; no measured cost reduction is claimed.
Sense. Decide. Actuate.
Every mode follows the same three steps. What changes is whether the request comes from your foot and hand, or from the control unit itself.
Sense
Sensors read the clutch pedal position and the gear lever request. In the concept, the lever is not mechanically linked to the gearbox.
Decide
The transmission control unit combines that request with engine and vehicle data such as speed, engine RPM, throttle position and wheel speed.
Actuate
A clutch actuator moves the clutch and a gear actuator selects the gear. The physical clutch and gearbox do the work, in every mode.
Also part of the concept
Each depends on how the vehicle is configured and validated.
- Creep in first and reverse, cancelled by the accelerator
- Hill-start and anti-stall assistance
- Engagement-point learning with a service alert
- Gear-request guidance and direction interlocks
Where PGT stands today.
Patented transmission concept
Concept designed by Diwakar M Annamalai and Sathiya Jothi. Patent details are shared in technical and licensing discussions.
Open for evaluation
PGT has not yet been built into a production vehicle. Benefits describe design intent, and each vehicle needs its own engineering, calibration, safety analysis and validation.
Looking for vehicle manufacturers, transmission suppliers and engineering partners who want to evaluate PGT for a real programme.
Discuss PGTQuestions about PGT
Something else on your mind? Ask directly.
Does PGT remove the clutch?
No. A physical clutch remains. In every mode an actuator operates it under electronic control.
Is the clutch pedal directly connected to the clutch?
No. The pedal supplies a sensed request. The control unit interprets it and commands the clutch actuator; the pedal does not move the clutch directly.
Does every car with PGT have all three modes?
Not necessarily. A manufacturer may offer one mode, a combination or all three, with switching rules defined for that vehicle.
What happens to the clutch pedal in the other modes?
In a three-mode car it stays fitted. Its input is switched off in manual with automated clutch and in automatic.
What if the clutch pedal fails in manual mode?
PGT monitors the clutch pedal sensors for faults. If it detects one, it alerts the driver and switches to automatic mode by default, so the clutch is still operated for you. This depends on automatic mode and the rest of the control path being healthy. The alert clears once the fault is resolved or serviced.
Does automatic mean self-driving?
No. Automatic refers to the transmission only. The driver still steers, accelerates, brakes and drives the vehicle. PGT is, however, designed to integrate with autonomous driving systems: its clutch and gears are already electronically actuated, and the concept names autonomous and driver-assistance (ADAS) vehicles as applications of its automatic mode. Each integration is engineered for the target vehicle.
How is PGT different from an AMT, DCT, CVT or torque-converter automatic?
Those automatic transmissions are normally driven with two pedals and no clutch pedal. An AMT uses actuators to work a manual-type gearbox and clutch, a DCT shifts between two clutches, and a torque-converter automatic or CVT manages launch and ratios itself. PGT keeps a real clutch and gearbox and works them with a clutch actuator and a gear actuator under a transmission control unit. In a three-mode configuration, the same car can be driven as a manual transmission, a manual with automated clutch or an automatic transmission.
Which powertrains does PGT suit?
PGT is aimed at powertrains that drive through a clutch and a stepped gearbox, such as engine-driven cars. In a hybrid, the drivetrain architecture and safety rules are assessed for each vehicle. A typical single-speed electric car has no clutch or ordinary gear changes, so most PGT benefits would not apply.
Can PGT be fitted to any existing car?
Each vehicle needs an engineering assessment. Actuator installation, control interfaces, calibration and validation are specific to the target vehicle.
Are fuel, cost or clutch-life savings proven?
Not yet. No comparative measurements exist for those outcomes. They are questions for a defined engineering and business evaluation.
Is PGT patented?
Yes. PGT is a patented transmission concept, designed by Diwakar M Annamalai and Sathiya Jothi. Patent details are shared in technical and licensing discussions.
Bring your application. Start a conversation.
Tell us about the vehicle, the driving situation or the engineering question you want to explore. Messages reach the concept designer directly.
- info@pgtdrive.com
