These patent drawings have surfaced, featuring details of a seven-speed manual transmission currently being developed by BMW. As with the new Porsche 911, the extra cog has been added with the aim of achieving greater fuel efficiency, allowing the engine to run at lower revs during motorway conditions.
Apparently, to prevent the driver hitting a wrong gear, a computerized shifting module will monitor the car’s speed and prevent an unsuitable gear from being selcted, ie 7th at 20 km/h – or 1st at 200 km/h! This system works by employing magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid); a smart fluid in a carrier fluid – usually a type of oil that, when subjected to a magnetic field greatly increases its viscosity, blocking a potentially catastrophic change.
We’ve come a long way since Volkswagen’s Formel E 3 + E energy-saving gearboxes.
[Source: e90post]