Dual-clutch transmission

A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed <a href="/facts/Motor_vehicle/AaXamA0w">vehicle</a> <a href="/facts/Transmission_(mechanics)/eoNqAufN">transmission system</a>, that uses two separate <a href="/facts/Clutch/yQLCtuGA">clutches</a> for odd and even <a href="/facts/Gear_train/znASyK8H">gear sets</a>. The design is often similar to two separate <a href="/facts/Manual_transmission/jEehs2AT">manual transmissions</a> with their respective clutches contained within one housing, and working as one unit. In car and truck applications, the DCT functions as an <a href="/facts/Automatic_transmission/bKBFLbyh">automatic transmission</a>, requiring no driver input to change gears.
The first DCT to reach production was the Easidrive automatic transmission introduced on the <a href="/facts/Hillman_Minx/u4RNwlLD">1961 Hillman Minx</a> mid-size car. This was followed by various eastern European tractors through the 1970s (using manual operation via a single clutch pedal), then the <a href="/facts/Porsche_962/7yBBqkvq">Porsche 962 C</a> racing car in 1985. The first DCT of the modern era was used in the 2003 <a href="/facts/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk4/SMWMjvNY">Volkswagen Golf R32</a>. Since the late 2000s, DCTs have become increasingly widespread, and have supplanted hydraulic automatic transmissions in various models of cars.
More generally, a transmission with several clutches can be called a multi clutch transmission. For example, the <a href="/facts/Koenigsegg_Jesko/fG2SI513">Koenigsegg Jesko</a> has a transmission with one clutch per gear, making for a total of 7 clutches.

Dual-clutch transmission open-in-new

Dual-clutch transmission