Electric cars are known for their impressive acceleration. They are able to achieve this feat because they don't have transmissions, unlike regular gasoline or diesel-powered cars. While this is the case in today's technology, noted gear and transmission manufacturer ZF Group recently announced that it had developed a new transmission technology which it claims can revolutionize electric cars.
Transmissions look a bit unnecessary for electric cars since they are able to achieve maximum torque through its rev range. Nevertheless, despite being considered unnecessary, ZF Group believes that electric cars can still benefit from transmission systems.
ZF Group's new transmission will give electric cars the ability to manipulate torque to their advantage. ZF claims that its new gearbox is programmed to shift once it reaches 43mph, which is the default setting. However, the company said that the gearbox could be programmed to shift at a different speed depending on what the carmaker needs.
While electric cars have no problem accelerating from a dead stop, the cars have a bit of a hard time reaching top speeds. This is where ZF believes that its new gearbox can make a difference. By incorporating this new gearbox to electric cars, ZF group believes that it can greatly improve any electric car's top speed.
In a statement, ZF Head of E-Mobility team Bert Hellwig said, "Until now, with electric motors, vehicle manufacturers have had to choose between high initial torque and a high top speed. We are now resolving this conflict and the new drive will be compatible for performance and heavier vehicles."
ZF said that it specifically design the gearbox for electric cars. Thus, it is compact and lightweight. It makes no sense to introduce a bulky transmission into an electric car as it will add weight, and it will just bug down the car.
ZF's newest 2-speed gearbox can be reprogrammed in order to manipulate its speed and torque ratio. This feature allows car manufacturers to design the gearbox to fit the needs of their car, giving it more flexibility. With this new gearbox, car manufacturers can tweak their electric cars to have more range in exchange for torque or top speed. Likely, they can also tweak the gearbox to have an electric car achieve top speeds in exchange of torque and mileage.
With electric cars like the Tesla Model S P100D breaking 0-60mph records, the new ZF gearbox is sure to offer a lot of improvements to this electric car revolution.
