Wabco India has formally launched Automated Manual Transmission technology, AMT OptiDrive, for commercial vehicles.

AMT OptiDrive was developed by Wabco, of Europe, which dominates the global market for AMT in medium and heavy commercial vehicles.

Leon Liu, president, Wabco Asia-Pacific, at an event to showcase the performance of the AMT OptiDrive, said the unit can be either retro-fitted or directly fitted by OEMs on commercial vehicles with a manual transmission.

The advantage is that the equipment automates clutch and gear shifting to optimal conditions.

Wabco sees emerging markets like India, China and Brazil as a major opportunity.

Jorge Solis, vice-president - Driveline Controls, Wabco Europe, said the OptiDrive technology enhances fuel efficiency by about 8% just by improving driving conditions.

Payback period is estimated to be less than one year, he said while not disclosing the cost of the equipment.

The unit includes a shift lever unit with integrated electronic control, clutch actuator and gear actuator.

P. Kaniappan, whole-time director, Wabco India, said the Indian company developed the software for the unit.

Since 2012 it has been tested on over 500 buses and fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs have been proven.

It is discussing with OEMs as the OptiDrive has to be tailored to suit specific vehicles.