Runge_Kutta

The 8L90 will help the GM trucks reach their MY2016 mileage requirements.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...cafe-standards

But what about the 2025 mileage requirements? GM has nine years to step up their (mileage) game significantly. My guess is that you will see many of the tricks and goodies getting rolled out just before the 2025 deadline but not before. This is the time frame of C8. This 8Lxx-series will be replaced by ATs with more speeds just like the 6Lxx-series is being replaced by the 8Lxx-series. Personally, I would have thought that diminishing returns would have capped all of this at ten forward speeds but it may go up to twelve before we're done here. One scenario that might motivate GM to bring the schedule of ten-speed ATs forward is if there is a sustained hike in fuel prices due to some big international incident. I wonder to what extent the renovations to the transmission production plants for the 8Lxx-series anticipate the next generation of ATs with more speeds. It will be interesting to see how well they can keep the size and weight down on these transmissions. Finally, now the GM is on the financial mend and vehicle sales are doing much better, we may see development times on these higher-tech items get reduced.

I suspect that C8 will get an automatic transmission very similar to the ones described below (the search has was tightly circumscribed so it is not exhaustive);

Twelve-Speed
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20130310212 ELECTROMECHANICAL CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8,409,045 Multi-speed transmission

Eleven-Speed
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20130260947 MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8,343,007 Compact multi-speed automatic transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8,152,683 Eight to thirteen speed automatic transmission

Ten-Speed
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20130281246.pdf METHOD FOR REGULATING GARAGE SHIFTS
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20130203546.pdf MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8425369.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8388488.pdf Eight, nine and ten speed automatic transmissions
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8376893.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8343007.pdf Compact multi-speed automatic transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8177675.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8128527.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8096915.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8070646.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8047954.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8043192.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8038566.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8033948.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8025602.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8007398.pdf Multi-speed transmission having at least ten speed ratios
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7993237.pdf Transmission having ten or more speeds
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7993235.pdf Multi-speed transmission
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914414.pdf Multi-speed transmission

Stretching a bit here, the C7 design was done in an era where the 2016 mileage requirements were on everyone's radar screens. But C8 will be designed with the 2025 requirements in mind. Technologically, that means they will be quite different. A 2V-SIDI engine with 75hp/L won't be good enough and 3300 pounds will be way too heavy for C8. There will be enormous incentive to finally get polycarbonate into the windows. Magnesium sheet metal and aluminum frames should become the norm by MY2025.

1985 Corvette

Interesting stuff. Wonder how that works for a future 10 speed auto. In normal city driving would it constantly hunt for the optimal gear? Neat stuff.

Runge_Kutta

Someone needs to write a very sophisticated control algorithm to simultaneously optimize mileage and user feel. That would likely begin by starting with the algorithm going into the eight-speed ATs.

I guess I was too pessimistic about the introduction dates for some of these new goodies. It's looking like the 10Lxx transmissions will arrive in MY2017 or so. When is the next date for a refresh of the trucks? I wonder if a mid-life upgrade will happen to C7 in MY2017.

Either the new eight-speed or ten-speed transmissions ought to have something related to this patent:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7052430.pdf

JerriVette

I think after 10 speeds...cylinder deactivation and engine shut off during stops would be more effective at reducing consumption.

Personally I think we will see offshoots of the Porsche 918 concepts..

lighter weight front Wheel motors running electric charges for short distances.....would be something I'd expect on distant corvettes..like the C8 if in fact fuel standards stay tough although with fracking and a move to natural gas for trucks etc...fuel standards may be lightened up in the next decade..

If America's trucking fleet moved to Natural Gas....as is being put into effect to some degree even this year...their running costs have dropped dramatically and since 25 percent of all fuel used in America is for heavy trucking...it would drop our fuel needs for another lifetime..

Hence making the loosening of the future fuel economy standards slightly less dire...

I would hope in the near future..dual fuel capability would be awesome...

I wish I could run my vette on E85 ....I'd say the extra 20 or 30 ponies would be well worth the shorter mileage per tank...

I think the purchase of biofuel advance startups like Coskata (SP) by oil companies has put that technology on the back shelf unfortunately...

they were making gas out of garbage and one gallon of water to make one gallon of fuel..and its cost was less than producing gasoline..

That products history and buried..at this point in time.

ChucksZ06

The same time these discussions are occurring about wringing the last ounce of mileage from our petroleum fuels the headlines are all about the US becoming the largest energy producer in the world. US imports are dropping every year per statistics. Saudi and Opec are worried about their futures in the oil business. I would bet that a lot of the silly ideas to get marginal mileage increases will soon be looked at as just that. I recently drove a M5 that shut the engine off at every stoplight...that is definitely over the top.

Rkreigh

after seeing what tesla does with a 414 hp motor I'd sure like to see a small battery (enough for about 40-50 miles) up front, with a nice efficient small DOHC twin turbo in back (c8)

gm has all the technology to do it, and it won't be cheap.

I'm also hoping the micro turbines come of age with 4 electric motors like the Jag CX75 concept.

we don't need a 200k corvette, but my bet is that GM can pull off a "NSX" competitor for a similar price

back to the original topic, I feel the days of the manual trans are numbered, and although I'm not that excited about the DSG, a REALLY efficient 8 spd auto with ultra fast shift points, a locking clutch in every gear, and high torque capacity with paddle shifts would be just fine.

my knees are shot and the clutch pedal has a bit less appeal than it used to!!