Photo: Volkswagen
It’s no secret that the rise of electric vehicles has revolutionized the way in which cars are built. Requiring fewer components, and at times simpler than the ones used in ICE cars, EVs are also likely to revolutionize the way in which driving is done.
The reason behind this is simple: electric drivetrains generate torque at maximum levels all the time, unlike the ICE units that need the input of a multi-speed gearbox to correctly provide the desired torque along the speed curve.
That in essence means EVs do not necessarily need a multi-speed gearbox, and gear change, be it manual or automatic, is needed no more. And this is why, says Volkswagen, the ID.3 comes with this type of hardware.
Fitted in the first electric car made by the Germans on the dedicated MEB platform, the gearbox is a 2-stage 1-speed unit that, for reasons of saving space, comes with two smaller cogs instead of a single big one.
The gearbox of the ID.3 is linked to the electric drivetrain (capable of a maximum power of 150 kW) and, to ensure the maximum amount of torque (310 Nm) is available constantly, a 10x transmission ratio is in use.
In this configuration, an ID.3 should hit with no problems a maximum speed of 160 kph (100 kph), and that happens at a maximum of 16,000 rpm.
There are several variants of the ID.3 already on the market. The entry-level uses a 45 kWh battery that should provide a range of up to 330 km (205 miles), the mid-range gets its power from a 58 kW battery good for 420 km (261 miles), and the top of the range version deploys a 77 kWh battery that could go as far as 550 km on a single charge (342 miles).
Regardless of which of them is chosen, says Volkswagen, “for the ID.3 which is optimized for maximum range, the use of a single gear for all driving situations is perfectly adequate.”
That in essence means EVs do not necessarily need a multi-speed gearbox, and gear change, be it manual or automatic, is needed no more. And this is why, says Volkswagen, the ID.3 comes with this type of hardware.
Fitted in the first electric car made by the Germans on the dedicated MEB platform, the gearbox is a 2-stage 1-speed unit that, for reasons of saving space, comes with two smaller cogs instead of a single big one.
The gearbox of the ID.3 is linked to the electric drivetrain (capable of a maximum power of 150 kW) and, to ensure the maximum amount of torque (310 Nm) is available constantly, a 10x transmission ratio is in use.
In this configuration, an ID.3 should hit with no problems a maximum speed of 160 kph (100 kph), and that happens at a maximum of 16,000 rpm.
There are several variants of the ID.3 already on the market. The entry-level uses a 45 kWh battery that should provide a range of up to 330 km (205 miles), the mid-range gets its power from a 58 kW battery good for 420 km (261 miles), and the top of the range version deploys a 77 kWh battery that could go as far as 550 km on a single charge (342 miles).
Regardless of which of them is chosen, says Volkswagen, “for the ID.3 which is optimized for maximum range, the use of a single gear for all driving situations is perfectly adequate.”
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