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What efficiency gains
An electric motor doesn't work like a combustion engine. The purpose of gears with an ICE (internal combustion engine is so that you can keep the engine in a decent power curve AND reduce RPM while cruising. Since each rotation consumes some fuel even under virtually no-load conditions (like going down hill) it helps a lot to reduce the rpms. Electric motors have very different characteristics (max torque at 0 rpm). They consume max current when not turning at all. The current goes down as the motor unloads. You could theortically get by with no gears at all but your acceleration and/or topspeed would be affected.

Turbine engines would also need few, if any gears.
Posted by: DevGuy_z   Posted on: 07/20/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Where's the fun in a silent sports car?  jinko | 07/20/06
Get an mp3 player  gordon@... | 07/20/06
Physics  baggins_z | 07/20/06
not true  DemonX | 07/20/06
Sounds questionable...  techboy_z | 07/20/06
Depends on what's mean by gear changes  voska | 07/20/06
Possibly a CVT ?  BitTwiddler | 07/20/06
What efficiency gains  DevGuy_z | 07/20/06
Lots of reasons for gearbox.  osreinstall | 07/20/06
why gasoline engines need gears  Insight Driver | 07/22/06
Electric cars had a loyal following in the last century  Boot_Agnostic | 07/20/06
Before ANY sort of alternative energy is going to work...  BitTwiddler | 07/20/06
Move to the midwest and you would see them.  DevGuy_z | 07/20/06
The killer for electric cars...  Steve Summers | 07/20/06
oops- not NiMH- Lithium Ion,  Steve Summers | 07/20/06
cost of batteries  Insight Driver | 07/22/06
If you drive less than 100 miles to work, and want to use US energy  stevey_d | 07/20/06
Tesla's electric sports car (review)  not of this world | 07/20/06
Crack open a Lithium. Wahooooooooooooooooeeeee  zdnet reader | 07/20/06
Crack open a gas tank, same result.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 07/21/06
Interesting Business Plan, too  Spats30 | 07/21/06
Tesla Motors home page - a site with pictures!  Eldon R | 07/24/06
It's car price vs. env. concious not car vs gas price  scoobyJ | 07/24/06
CO2 Reduction  spill not | 07/24/06

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