Drive Stick Shift on Instagram: "⚙️ CVT Transmissions: Smooth or Sketchy? A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is a type of automatic transmission that doesn’t use fixed gears. Instead, it uses a system of pulleys and a belt (or chain) to deliver an infinite range of gear ratios. 🔹 Who invented it? The idea goes all the way back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1490 (seriously). The first patent came in the late 1800s. 🔹 First commercial use The CVT hit the road in 1958 with the DAF