Abstract :
Within recent years a new electromechanical transmission known as the "Electrogear" has been developed for use in gas and Diesel engine cars of all types including busses, trucks, rail cars, and track-laying vehicles. The paper describes the principle of its operation which is basically a differential action between direct mechanical power transmission and a generator-motor system, interlinked by means of a permanently engaged planetary differential gear. At the start, both the electrical and mechanical power flows are in the same direction, giving high torque multiplication. As the vehicle speed increases, the electrical power flow diminishes, goes through zero, and finally reverses its direction, leading to high speed, low torque operation with "overdrive." The torque ratio is thus continuously variable as in the gas-electric drive, and is controlled independent of road conditions by a small auxiliary generator which acts as the "brain" of the system. The design and installation of one specific Bus Electrogear is given in detail in order to illustrate the application to public transportation, though various other models have been built and demonstrated. Extensive test data graphically describe the superior performance of this new vehicle drive which combines the ideal flexibility and low maintenance cost of the gas-electric drive with the economy of the standard gearshift transmission. Actual operation requires only accelerator and brake, both acted on conventionally by means of the conventional pedals, and a selector switch with engine starting, forward and reverse positions.
