Do Electric Cars Have Transmissions?

If you’re looking for a new electric vehicle to help you take on your Carmel commute, you’ve probably heard about the perks of maintaining an electric vehicle. In general, EVs have fewer moving parts so it’s less likely for something to go wrong. For example, electric vehicles don’t have an internal combustion engine (ICE) that could require spark plug replacements or even catalytic converter replacements.

While there’s no ICE in an EV, do electric cars have transmissions? Yes! Electric car transmissions do exist but the gears on an electric car operate differently from the transmission gears on a vehicle with an ICE. Learn more about electric car transmissions today with the service experts from Penske Chevrolet!

How the Gears On Electric Cars Work

Now that we’ve answered the question, “Do electric cars have transmissions?” you may be wondering about the specifics of an EV’s transmission. As we mentioned, the gears on an electric car operate differently from the gears on a regular vehicle. This is because EVs don’t have an ICE that needs to “rev” to get to the optimal power band.

Instead, EVs can produce power nearly instantaneously so there’s no need for different gears to get the engine to provide peak power on Noblesville drives. As a result, most electric car transmissions are single-speed transmissions that provide peak power no matter what speed you’re going. Here are the workings of an EV’s transmission:

1. Step on the accelerator and electricity is sent from the battery to the electric motor.
2. When the electric motor spins, so do the transmission.
3. As the electric motor and transmission spin, it’ll translate that power to your wheels to get your vehicle to move.
4. In a regular vehicle, there’s a need for a reverse gear as the ICE is still spinning normally so you need an extra gear to get the car to move backward. However, in an EV, the electric motor and transmission can simply spin in reverse to move the vehicle backward.

Electric Car Transmission Maintenance

While electric vehicles usually have a single-speed transmission, do you still need to maintain them? The answer depends on your specific vehicle and your driving habits on Westfield roads. Some electric vehicles will have a transmission that requires the transmission fluid to be replaced every so often. We suggest you reference your owner’s manual for specifics on your EV’s transmission maintenance intervals.

Find an EV Today With Penske Chevrolet!

While we’ve simplified the inner workings of an EV transmission, you can visit us in Indianapolis if you’d like to know the details. If you don’t have an EV just yet, feel free to connect with our team and we can help you find an electric vehicle that checks off all of your boxes!