Otodiva – Electric vehicle (EV) is on the rise, and nearly all automotive companies are investing in cleaner energy alternatives. Sadly, this means parts such as fuel tanks, pump, and the exhaust becomes a relic of the past, but the switch to EVs may mark the end of one part of the car as we know it: multi-speed transmission.
Electric vehicles use a single-speed transmission, which means there is only one gear that can be used, namely on. When you sit in an electric car for the first time, You will feel something strange with the gear shift, especially if you are used to driving with a manual transmission. Vice versa, You will only see Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Standard drive. It's like an automatic transmission without the extra gears that most people don't understand. Several companies have tried to bring the feel of traditional transmissions to their electric cars, with Hyundai introducing N E-Shift on the Ioniq 5 N and Toyota's new electric car that offers a manual transmission simulation. But in the end, both are still standard single-transmission EVs. However, this raises questions: how does the transmission work in an electric car?
How does an EV transmission work?
In traditional combustion engines, You have to build torque over time, with the transmission shifting to achieve higher power levels. Not so with electric vehicles. Electric cars instantly produce a constant amount of torque, and directly distributes the power to the wheels.
When you step on the gas pedal, The EV battery sends electricity to the electric motor. The motor then turns a single speed transmission, and when the two spin together, the motor and transmission work together to propel the EV forward. When you walk backwards, The rotating motor will rotate backwards, so there is no need for back teeth. As an illustration, internal combustion engine produces finite rotation 7.000 rpm, while the electric motor can rotate up to 20.000 rpm. That is why electric cars accelerate much faster than combustion engine cars, because they can access the motor's highest power as soon as you step on the accelerator.
It is worth mentioning that this is not the case with all electric cars. Toyota fake manual transmissions work differently, while hybrid cars use a more traditional transmission because they combine an electric motor and a combustion engine. Both these and the aforementioned are great alternatives for those who crave the feel of a classic transmission but want to lower their carbon footprint.
