Sterantis is redesigning its launch control mechanism for future hybrid vehicles.

The possibility of Sterantis' future hybrid vehicles having launch control has been indicated by a newly discovered patent application.

A patent application filed by Sterantis in February for a hybrid-specific launch control system was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on August 8.

Sterantis claims in the application that current launch control systems generally require the driver to hold the brake and gas pedal pedals and release the brake pedal to launch, and do not work well with hybrid powertrains. In general, he says, the transmission's control unit applies torque preferentially, which puts unnecessary stress on the electric motor and can result in jerky launches.

An alternative proposed by Sterantis would switch priority to the hybrid system controller so that both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are on the same page. In the “preparation phase,” the electric motor's torque is steadily reduced before the engine speed is increased; in the second “launch phase,” the electric motor's torque is turned on in parallel with the internal combustion engine; in the third “launch phase,” the electric motor's torque is turned on in parallel with the internal combustion engine.

The type of internal combustion engine Sterantis is considering is not mentioned in the patent application, but the automaker is discussing a dual-clutch automatic transmission, one electric motor used for propulsion, and a second belt-driven starter/generator motor [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]