this state of affairs only the electric

continuously variable-vehicle
is sold for passenger use, and only a few
of these are purchased by
Background. Continuously variable-transmissions have been
used in the automotive industry for many years. The motivation
for using a continuously variable-transmission in an automobile is
to achieve a continuously variable-transmission of power, which
allows the internal combustion engine to operate at its most
efcient operating point for a given power requirement. Studies
have shown that these transmissions are able to reduce fuel con-
sumption by up to 60% [1]. Although continuously variable-
transmissions have been in existence for many years, and although
they show tremendous promise for reducing fuel consumption,
they are nevertheless too expensive to receive widespread accep-
tance in the market. Much of this is due to the fact that most con-
tinuously variable technology is of the electric type, and the
components for these transmissions are not affordable. For
instance, consider the price difference between the Toyota Corolla
and its comparable compact electric-hybrid the Toyota Prius. The
cost differential between these two cars is in excess of $8000
which makes the continuously variable design cost prohibitive for
most consumers.
In order to increase the penetration of continuously variable
technology into the automotive market, the environmental protec-
tion agency (EPA) has been sponsoring programs for the develop-
ment of hydraulic hybrid-vehicles [2]. The EPA deems a
hydraulic continuously variable-vehicle as being more cost effec-
tive than an electric continuously variable-vehicle; however, the
hydraulic designs have not proven themselves to be acceptable
due to the high level of audible noise that they generate especially
when operating at high pressures. In other words, the benets of
increased fuel efciency and lower rst-time buying costs have
not been enough to persuade consumers to live with the noise that
is associated with a hydraulic continuously variable vehicle. In


Contributed by the Power Transmission and Gearing Committee of ASME for
publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received January 24,
2013; nal manuscript received July 10, 2013; published online September 18, 2013.
Assoc. Editor: Qi Fan.
individuals who have enough wealth to put environmental con-
cerns ahead of their pocketbook. In other words, the electric con-
tinuously variable-vehicle market is a niche market that serves the
interests of only a few.
This paper is being written to consider another niche market for
continuously variable vehicles. In particular, the feasibility of
retrotting an existing rear-wheel drive vehicle with a hydraulic
continuously variable-transmission is explored to provide environ-
mentally conscious individuals with an option to upgrade their
vehicles without paying the high cost associated with an electric
continuously variable-design. While this current solution does not
address the noise issue associated with the hydraulic transmission,
it does address the cost issue by using less expensive hydraulic
components and by using the existing mechanical transmission in
the vehicle with its associated differential gear at the nal drive.
The proposed transmission in this paper simply replaces the
drive shaft in the vehicle with a hydraulic continuously variable-
transmission, thus creating a continuously variable-transmission
of power that is capable of signicantly reducing the fuel con-
sumption of the automobile. In other words, if the end user is will-
ing to endure the traditional noise levels that are associated
with the hydraulic continuously variable-transmission, the contin-
uously variable-transmission proposed in this paper can signi-
cantly reduce fuel consumption costs for that individual while
simultaneously serving to preserve the environment from the side
effects of burning excess petroleum based fuels.


Literature Review. As previously mentioned, automotive con-
tinuously variable-transmission research has been aimed operating
the internal combustion engine at a point of maximum efciency
for a given power demand. This research has been roughly divided
between electric continuously variable-technologies and hydraulic
continuously variable-technologies.
Examples of electric continuously variable research include
work done by Pffner et al. [3] in which a numerical method is