Comments on: Morgan Announces Plans for High-Performance Electric Sports Car Prototype http://inhabitat.com/morgan-announces-plans-for-high-performance-electric-sports-car-prototype/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:48:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Zeppflyer http://inhabitat.com/morgan-announces-plans-for-high-performance-electric-sports-car-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-350366 Zeppflyer Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:01:47 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=289912#comment-350366 The jury's still out on whether a manual gearbox can be of use in an electric vehicle or not. Full torque at 0 RPM means that you really don't need one to get started or accelerate. The only reason for one is that efficiency of an electric motor does drop as speed climbs, so it can be worthwhile to have a high range gear to allow the motor to operate at lower RPM's when the car is running fast. However, if you just drive the car in town or on a crowded commute, the extra weight of the gearbox, the couple percentage points of efficiency that you lose by running the power through it, and the added complexity make it a losing proposition. In a car built for speed and fun, though, it might be worth it. :) The jury’s still out on whether a manual gearbox can be of use in an electric vehicle or not. Full torque at 0 RPM means that you really don’t need one to get started or accelerate. The only reason for one is that efficiency of an electric motor does drop as speed climbs, so it can be worthwhile to have a high range gear to allow the motor to operate at lower RPM’s when the car is running fast. However, if you just drive the car in town or on a crowded commute, the extra weight of the gearbox, the couple percentage points of efficiency that you lose by running the power through it, and the added complexity make it a losing proposition.

In a car built for speed and fun, though, it might be worth it. :)

]]> By: caeman http://inhabitat.com/morgan-announces-plans-for-high-performance-electric-sports-car-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-350359 caeman Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:09:09 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=289912#comment-350359 THAT, my friends, is what a car should look like. That is automotive sexiness. The Yaris? Blech! If all EVs looked this sexy, people would abandon gas cars in huge numbers. It is unfortunate that most all modern cars are bulbous blobs of ugly metal. THAT, my friends, is what a car should look like. That is automotive sexiness. The Yaris? Blech! If all EVs looked this sexy, people would abandon gas cars in huge numbers.

It is unfortunate that most all modern cars are bulbous blobs of ugly metal.

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