Advanced Driving Hub

Just found this...https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/toy ... 9540be8266
Maybe some hope in driving a car as apposed to a glorified golf buggy in the future.

Interesting. I'd often wondered if a manual EV would allow more range and/or use of a smaller motor and batteries. An important aspect for electric motorcycles which don't have room for more batteries

Not sure what it will mean when it's done entirely in software and there's no engine noise to tell you what's going on anyway. Seems more of a gimmic looking for a problem to solve.

I’m voting ‘gimmic’. I’ve driven a pure EV just for a day (200 miles) and hated it, but I’m not sure this idea makes any sense at all.

The whole USP of an electric motor, to my understanding, is that it produces constant torque regardless of rpm, so there is no need for a slipping clutch when moving off, and no advantage in different gears. I’d have thought clutch and gearbox would simply be detrimental to overall efficiency, wasting electricity.


I like this bit (my emphasis)…

All the usual manual features are there: engine braking, coasting and most amusingly no torque when you suddenly try and accelerate in top gear, which then brings with it synthetic sound of parts of the cabin trim rattling. It sounds like a gimmick but it’s actually all rather believable.

Curious that they should think that drivers of manual cars might somehow find pleasure from being in the wrong gear?

Another Bill wrote:I’m voting ‘gimmic’.

Another vote here.

Driving an EV doesn't concern me at all. We have two cars, one manual the other DSG auto.

Regardless of which, there's plenty of other areas of driving which require attention and thought.

Another Bill wrote:The whole USP of an electric motor, to my understanding, is that it produces constant torque regardless of rpm

From comments made by someone in the industry, they often have to be electronically 'detuned'!

Another Bill wrote:I’m voting ‘gimmic’. I’ve driven a pure EV just for a day (200 miles) and hated it, but I’m not sure this idea makes any sense at all.

The whole USP of an electric motor, to my understanding, is that it produces constant torque regardless of rpm, so there is no need for a slipping clutch when moving off, and no advantage in different gears. I’d have thought clutch and gearbox would simply be detrimental to overall efficiency, wasting electricity.

Not only inefficient but pointless because there is no "engine" with which to match the road speed so the art of the gearchange is effectively lost.

Another Bill wrote:I like this bit (my emphasis)…

All the usual manual features are there: engine braking, coasting and most amusingly no torque when you suddenly try and accelerate in top gear, which then brings with it synthetic sound of parts of the cabin trim rattling. It sounds like a gimmick but it’s actually all rather believable.

Curious that they should think that drivers of manual cars might somehow find pleasure from being in the wrong gear?

Define "wrong gear"... and I don't mean donkey jacket and wellies for lunch at Claridge's.

Strangely Brown wrote:Define "wrong gear"...

I'd guess something along the lines of trying to pull on to a busy roundabout, from a standstill, in the highest gear instead of 'first'?

So, I asked 'gimmick?'

It's kind've an obvious thing to do TBF. Gearbox manufacturers use leccy motors on a rig to simulate engines after all. One motor can be many engines. S'not a huge leap to put it in a car.

Won't do much for the price though

My bolding.

Another Bill wrote:The whole USP of an electric motor, to my understanding, is that it produces constant torque regardless of rpm

Not quite. An electric motor produces maximum torque at zero rpm - hence the popularity of diesel electric locomotives. Depending on the motor design, torque will remain more or less constant up to a certain point and then decrease.

Horse wrote:

Strangely Brown wrote:Define "wrong gear"...

I'd guess something along the lines of trying to pull on to a busy roundabout, from a standstill, in the highest gear instead of 'first'?

Yes, and in future I will read the post to which I am replying more carefully. Although...

It does depend somewhat on the car. I can think of one or two cars I have driven where that would be barely noticeable.