Electric Cars and Transmissions

by V
(Houston, TX)

Transmission, anyone?

I have minimal knowledge as to how the transmission works in a normal, manual 5 speed car. How does the clutch, gears, etc. factor in when I throw out the ICE and use an electric motor?

Hi, V -
Not all electric motors are the same, but the DC motors you often see in electric cars have a lot of torque from a complete standstill, and your ICE's transmission was not really designed for this, as the ICE behaves somewhat differently.

If you're asking how to hook it all up?
You'll want one of the conversion books for that; it's explained very nicely in "Build Your Own Electric Vehicle".

Regards,
Lynne