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Electric Vehicles
Published on December 12th, 2014
by Steve Hanley
4
EV transmissions are under development and should be available soon, James Potter, controls manager for ZF Powertrain Technology, tells WardsAuto. “Two-speeds are coming out, and that will be the next generation,” he says. “For passenger cars, I would say we will probably eventually rise up to 3- or 4-speeds.”
The push to design transmissions for electric cars is part of the search for extended range. Potter believes adding a transmission will increase range by up to 20% while allowing auto makers to use smaller, lighter and less expensive batteries. He also expects transmissions to optimize the car for different tasks, whether highway travel or in town use. “If you get a Nissan LEAF and it’s the only car you have, now you need a car that is more customizable,” he says. “Maybe you need the ability to change battery size based on what you will use the car for, or maybe you need multiple transmission options based on what you’ll use the car for.”
Potter foresees the day when the electric motor and transmission will be combined into one hybrid unit. ZF already does something similar now for ActiveHybrid versions of BMW’s 3, 5 and 7 Series cars, in which the electric motor takes the place of the torque converter.
Even thought the video above shows a transmission system from KOM Advanced Powertrain Strategies, the transmissions under development by ZF will be similar in operation. For a car nut like me, the sweet sound of the drivetrain going up and down through the gears is music to my ears. I think I would really enjoy driving an electric car with a transmission.
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About the Author
Steve Hanley I have been a car nut since the days when articles by John R. Bond and Henry N. Manney, III graced the pages of Road Track. I know every nut, bolt and bullet connector on an MGB from 20 years of ownership. I now drive a 94 Miata for fun and the occasional HPDE track day. If it moves on wheels, I am interested in it. Please follow me on Google + and Twitter.
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Goddammit, no! I love my EV because it’s simple. Don’t add complexity to the mix. Increasing my range “by up to 20%” means from 0% to 20%. I don’t want to have to worry about transmission fluid, wear and tear on the transmission, transmission rebuilds, etc. A reduction gear is just fine with me. I’ll take the “up to 20%” hit on range to keep my car SIMPLE and SHIFT-FREE.
Thanks, Aaron. I have floated this notion out there on the internet and gotten pretty much the same reaction from others. All I can say is that ZF knows a thing or two about gear boxes and if they are involved, there’s probably something to this.
Plus, too and also, the sound on that video sends tingles up my spine. I know EVs are supposed to be nearly silent, but if mine sounds like that, I’m all in favor!
The sound is… interesting… and by some metrics nicer than silence.
Where I notice an EV with a transmission is at the airport. The small trains that move from terminal to terminal are electric and have (my guess) a 4-speed transmission. It makes standing up, holding the handrail, a little more difficult because of the shifts.
That being said, those little trains can pull pretty hard. I know a transmission would allow you to stay within the power band of the motor for better efficiency, but it’s a compromise I don’t want to make.
Tesla knew about the power and efficiency improvement with the first-gen Roadster. When it first came out, it had a two-speed transmission. However, after multiple transmission failures, they dropped it and went with a single-speed reduction gear.
I know ZF is probably the best name in transmissions. Their experience in high power, high torque applications is likely unmatched.
What I’m wondering is why have any speeds at all, and why not a CVT? It would be shiftless, the problems people have with CVTs in ICE vehicles — the droning from the ICE revving to 3000 RPM to be in the power band — wouldn’t be an issue. The big question is: Can a CVT handle the torque of an electric motor reliably?
I suspect the CVT is not up to the task. I also suspect that cars like the Tesla will never have a transmission because it already has such a large battery it doesn’t need any help moving the car forward.
I do think something small and light like a Honda Fit or even a LEAF might be a candidate for one. though. Until battery technology catches up, those cars are just too small to fit a powerful battery. This transmission looks to be quite a bit smaller than the volume of the extra battery necessary to significantly increase range.
Obviously I am just speculating. I don’t think ZF is doing this just for fun. What I do know is that the battery technology ten years from now will be vastly different from battery technology today and there will be many variations of range, torque, and charging time that will come to market before there is any “standard” arrangement for an EV the way the 2.0 liter turbo 4 cylinder is the “standard” gasoline engine of today.