The Volvo I-Shift is an automated manual transmission developed by Volvo subsidiary Volvo Powertrain AB for Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses, with 12 forward gears and 4 reverse gears. It became available for trucks no later than 2001 and buses no later than 2004.
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Specifications
Technically the I-Shift is an unsynchronised manual gearbox, with an electronic control unit, responsible for controlling the pneumatic system that handles the clutch and shifts. It constantly receives information about vehicle speed, acceleration, weight, road grade, torque demand and more, and can adjust revs and engine brake effect. The I-Shift uses different software for different type of application.
The I-Shift has no clutch pedal. It is controlled either by a gearstick mounted on the driver's seat or by buttons on the dashboard, just like a standard automatic gearbox. With the gearstick, the driver can use buttons to manually select gear, although this feature is disabled on some vehicles (where the gearstick has no buttons).
The different versions of the I-Shift are named AT (Automatic Transmission) or ATO, where the O stands for overdrive. The standard versions have a gear ratio of 1:1, while the overdrive has a ratio of 0.78:1, suitable for long distance use. The numbers show maximum torque in Newton metres, plus 12 for the number of gears. The last part of the name is a letter showing its generation, with C for Euro III and IV, D for Euro V and EEV, and E and F for the Euro VI version.
I-Shift Dual Clutch
In June 2014, Volvo Trucks presented a new dual-clutch version of the I-Shift, known as SPO2812, with overdrive and a maximum torque of 2800 N·m. The dual-clutch version is only available for trucks up to 540 hp.