German supplier Schaeffler is counting on the electrification of the clutch to boost the fuel economy and driving comfort for manual transmissions without a significant increase in the cost. Matthias Zink, head of Schaeffler's transmission systems division, told Automotive News Europe that automakers are testing 10 vehicles fitted with the company's e-clutch systems. He declined to name the brands, but Zink said he expects one of Schaeffler's systems to be in a production vehicle by mid-2018. Adding an e-clutch to a manual makes it possible to put the engine into idle or to switch it off, allowing the vehicle to coast and thus improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. "Coasting is a sort of stop-start in motion," Zink said. "That means a manual transmission equipped with an electronic clutch could reduce real-driving fuel consumption by more than 8 percent." He said Schaeffler's entry e-clutch, which the supplier calls MTplus, short for manual transmission plus, adds about 100 euros ($112) to the production cost of a traditional manual. Typically that means the car buyer would have to pay about $225 to $335 more for the technology. Savings levels Since the MTplus is electronically controlled, different levels of savings are possible, according to Schaeffler. The most basic -- which would involve putting the engine into idle when coasting in the transmission's highest gear -- improves fuel economy by 3.1 percent under so-called real world driving conditions, Schaeffler says. Idling the engine when coasting in each gear increases the saving to 4.4 percent. The best results come when the system switches off the engine when coasting, which improves fuel economy by 8.2 percent, Zink said. Schaeffler's challenge is that the full benefits of MTplus are not recognized under the current homologation rules in Europe. The New European Driving Cycle, which has been in effect since 1970 and was last updated in 1997, doesn't factor in fuel economy and carbon dioxide reductions from coasting. But benefits from coasting are included in the latest draft of the worldwide harmonized light vehicles test procedure, which is to take effect in 2017. Schaeffler generated its fuel-savings estimates based on the new procedure. Clutches without pedals Schaeffler is also working to eliminate the clutch pedal in next-generation manuals with a system called Electronic Clutch Management that adds sensors to the gear-lever position and gearbox. "ECM provides some of the functions and the comfort of an automatic transmission at less than half the price," said Zink. Fitting a traditional manual with ECM adds from 150 euros ($167) to $225 in production cost. By comparison, the simplest automatic, an automated manual transmission, costs automakers $335 to $450 while car buyers typically pay $750 to $1,000 for an automated manual transmission. A dual-clutch transmission costs automakers about $850 and has a starting retail price in Europe of about $1,700.