Czinger Vehicles and Xtrac develop additively manufactured gearbox for 21C hypercar
March 16, 2023
Czinger Vehicles has partnered with motorsport gearbox specialist Xtrac to produce an additively manufactured high-performance gearbox case for use in its 21C hypercar. The topology-optimised gearbox is manufactured from a proprietary aluminium alloy, reportedly leading to significant weight savings, outstanding structural performance & production quality, and efficient manufacturing times.
The gearbox is built using the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS), a software/hardware solution from Divergent, which is designed to replace traditional vehicle manufacturing. The DAPS approach eliminates the need for tooling, enabling a reduction in development time and the ability to make real-time design improvements.
Based in Berkshire, UK, and with US facilities in Indiana and North Carolina, Xtrac develops and manufactures world-leading transmission and driveline products, including gearboxes, differentials, and gearchange systems. Since 1984, over 1,200 gearbox designs have been produced, with many used in top-level professional motorsport globally. Partnering with Xtrac to engineer and develop the 21C’s additively manufactured gearbox is anticipated to further boost the 21C’s performance.
“We are proud to team Czinger’s world-class engineers with those at Xtrac,“ stated Lukas Czinger, Czinger Co-Founder and SVP Operations. “Together, we have developed an incredible, industry-first gearbox that is truly at the pinnacle of performance. We can’t wait to shatter more track records as we utilise this system in the 21C.”
The gearbox features the following performance specifications:
- Automated 7‑speed, semi‑sequential gearbox
- First 48V‑electrically actuated twin barrel system, resulting in what is reputed to be the fastest automated single-clutch synchromesh gearbox
- Dual barrel gear actuation allows for smoother EV‑to‑rear drive blending for easier city driving
- Sub‑100 ms shifts combined with blending of front‑axle EV power allow for easy shifts for high-performance driving.
- Reputedly features the highest torque transmitted per mass of gearcase for any road‑legal vehicle
“What our Xtrac engineers have accomplished in tandem with Czinger and Divergent is groundbreaking. Xtrac is pleased to be at the forefront of cutting-edge gearbox manufacturing by creating these 3D printed casings. It has been extremely interesting and very stimulating for our engineers working closely together to bring this cutting edge innovation to life,” Adrian Moore, CEO, Xtrac.
