Driving Is Changing Why New Cars No Longer Need Reverse

The accelerating electrification of transport brings new innovations that gradually increase the efficiency of cars every year It is also important that engineers not only introduce additional new technologies, but also find ways to abandon the usual ones that have seemed immovable for years.

One of the most important goals is to reduce the number of moving parts, according to Velocita's press release The indisputable advantage of electric cars is a mechanically simpler design.

For example, these models do not require a gearbox Due to the even torque curve that meets the needs of movement, even in the first mass-produced Nissan Leaf models, one pair of gears and a reducer were enough to transmit the thrust of the electric motor.

This almost direct transmission is far superior to any car with an internal combustion engine In anticipation of an electrified future where there will be no conventional gearboxes, hybrid technologies are gaining popularity very rapidly.

As long as internal combustion engines are used, classic transmissions are necessary for such cars, but new ways are being found to simplify them For example, the new generation Kia Niro hybrid models drive in reverse without using the internal combustion engine.

It is interesting that, unlike Toyota or Lexus hybrids, which can go in reverse on electric power alone, the gearboxes installed in the cars of the South Korean manufacturer no longer have a reverse mode at all A very similar operating principle is used in the McLaren supercar Artura.

And although the model of the British brand uses a 70 kW electric motor, and the Kia crossover has a 45 kW electric motor, the essence of both technologies is the same The main goal is to simplify the design and reduce the overall weight.

Along with this, there are other advantages: the electric motor allowed McLaren engineers to eliminate the problem of turbo lag, and kia designers made sure that the city SUV accelerates quickly enough and at the same time consumes little fuel The application of an electric motor is a logical decision in the opinion of Vidas Žuraulis, professor of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, and this reverse gear electrification is a stage of natural engineering evolution.

According to the scientist, the advantages of such a construction-simplifying solution are obvious, and there are no doubts about its practicality either because reversing was never a primary function of the car.

"It's more of an auxiliary mode for maneuvering, and the speed is not high when using it This means that reversing does not require a lot of power, so the electric motor installed in the hybrid car is completely sufficient for this.

When moving from a standstill, torque is more important than power, and the electric motor does not lack that," the interviewer explains V.

Žuraulis adds that such a solution allows reducing the load on the hybrid drive and facilitating its management It is no longer necessary to programmatically predict in what proportions the internal combustion engine and the electric motor should work in reverse.

Engineers give priority to only one pair of gears, which is rotated by a single electric power unit "It's also clever because that electronically changing the direction of rotation of an electric motor is very simple.

It also allows you to smoothly activate the reverse mode and drive at a constant speed," the scientist shares his insights V.

Žuraulis has no doubts about practicality, he notes that the technology is only applied in hybrid models with larger capacity batteries and plug-in hybrids, but is not suitable for mild hybrid systems Therefore, drivers have no reason to worry that the car will not be able to go back when the battery is discharged.

In addition, manufacturers will install fuses to avoid potentially tricky situations Long-term operation of the first and second generation Toyota Prius models has proven that a super-capacity battery is absolutely not necessary to drive in electric mode every time in reverse.

Even when the distance covered was extremely limited, these cars, and later the first hybrid "Lexus" SUVs, did not disturb the peace of the neighbors while quietly reversing out of the yards of cities and suburbs The solution was already practical when hybrids could cover only a few kilometers with full batteries.

Now, models such as the Kia Niro or Lexus NX can travel up to 60 kilometers in electric mode Gearboxes will eventually become exotic.

According to V Žuraulis, the electrification of the reverse gear allows to reduce the number of pairs of gears used in the mechanical transmission.

At the same time, reducing the number of shafts, bearings and other parts makes it possible to make a more compact gearbox At the same time, the total weight of the car is automatically calculated.

"Any weight loss is welcome It is also important that the design of the drive itself is simplified.

This includes programming, which is especially important for modern transmissions Usually, in order for everything to work smoothly, it is necessary to accurately predict the number of transmissions, and pausing a certain connection is an additional engineering task," says the scientist.

Electric cars will eventually allow consumers to completely forget about complicated gearboxes - the evenly developed torque allows engineers to get by with one or two pairs of gears in most cases The 9-speed automatic transmissions widely used in Mercedes-Benz models or the 10-speed Ford automatic transmissions that debuted on the market not so long ago are complex engineering projects that can become completely exotic in a very short time.

"Modern 9- or 10-speed automatic transmissions work well and allow the engine to be used more efficiently when it is under greater load, such as when towing a trailer On the other hand, modern gearboxes require proper maintenance due to hydraulic torque transmission, programming subtleties and complex construction, and due to the abundance of gears, the overall performance of the drive deteriorates", comments V.

Žuraulis Not All Experiments Work

In the history of motoring, there was no shortage of interesting experiments with gearboxes, and one of the most interesting inventions that reached serial production was the eight-speed transmission installed in the Mitsubishi Mirage (in Europe this model was called "Colt") produced in the 1970s, which also had two reverse gears This exotic unit appeared only because, in order to save resources, Mitsubishi engineers tried to adapt the engine to the front-wheel drive hatchback, which was normally mounted longitudinally and turned the rear wheels of larger models.

Such a hasty composition created a number of challenges To solve them, a 4-speed gearbox was installed under the engine.

An additional joint was required to transmit the torque, but instead of the shaft, a simple two-speed transmission was constructed This is what allowed for a more attractive price than the new five-speed manual gearbox to get a unique transmission in which each standard gear could be used with a higher or lower ratio of the additional box.

On the auxiliary lever, the lower gear ratio was marked "Power" and the higher gear was marked "Economy" The exceptional versatility of such a double transmission remained only a theory: in practice, there was not enough engine traction for higher gear ratios,.