Are you planning to buy an electric car? Though most automakers are just rolling out new electric cars, you might still have some questions about them. Well, one of the more common ones is, believe it or not – do electric cars have a transmission?
You may get a “yes” or “no” answer to this question. So expect to get confused, as the answer to this question will be as different as the person answering it. The truth is that these cars don’t have transmissions in the way that we use the term “transmission” to refer to a traditional car’s gearbox system. But technically, electric cars do have transmissions.
It is best to clear up the confusion before buying a car. Don’t worry! Our article will give you a detailed view of whether these cars have transmissions.
What is a transmission?
A gearbox is the car’s transmission —the part of the engine that shifts the gears to allow the car to travel comfortably at various speeds and in reverse. Why do internal combustion engines (ICE) need different gear ratios? It is because it generates power efficiently at specific RPM ranges. You must shift up and down the gears to maintain efficiency at certain speeds. A transmission can be manual, in which the driver engages the clutch pedal to shift gears, or automatic, in which the gear shifting happens automatically.
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Do electric cars have a transmission?
Yes, sort of. You may be wondering since many electric cars lack a gear lever to allow you to change gears. But electric cars have transmissions mechanically because every car requires transmission to move under its power. Whether the car has a transmission or not depends on the type of electric car!
But unlike cars with ICE, these cars lack multi-speed transmissions. Because electric cars do not have an ICE, they do not need a multi-speed transmission. The ‘engine’ of an electric car is an electric motor, which functions differently to deliver power.
The motor in an electric car does not necessitate shifting gears to keep the car running efficiently. It is because motors deliver power instantaneously and a consistent amount of torque at any given RPM within a definite range.
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Do electric cars have transmission fluid?
That depends on the model you own. Most cars have no transmission so they won’t need transmission fluid either. Some recent models do feature transmissions. So gearboxes are coming in electric cars, which may be seen in the upcoming models. For instance, cars like Tesla Model S, X, and 3 have gears in the front and rear motors.
So based on your EV model, you will need to change the transmission fluid at some point. Transmission fluid in these cars varies significantly from those in combustion engines. Because of the performance of an EV’s drivetrain, the fluid must resist large power fluctuations.
Do electric cars have automatic transmissions?
Ideally, electric cars have automatic transmissions. So they don’t have a clutch or even a gearbox. An electric car is a single-speed vehicle with two pedals – one for acceleration and the other for braking.
Do any electric cars have manual transmissions?
Gateway’s Luxe-GT Ford Bronco is the only EV with a manual transmission.
Do electric cars have CVT transmissions?
No. They don’t have a CVT transmission.
CVT transmissions do not require gear shifts because they use belts instead of gears. This single-speed transmission removes much of the control from the driver’s hands, allowing them to maintain a consistent performance level irrespective of speed.
Electric car engines have lesser moving parts than gas-powered combustion engines. They only have one gear. So, these cars don’t only use a type of single-speed transmission.
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