Electric cars only need so many gears with different speeds. They don’t need the torque multiplication that gearing gives, and adding more gears would hurt the drivetrain too much since they can make a lot of torque at zero rpm. Some EVs, like the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan, have two-speed gears, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Motor Authority found a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that shows an electric off-roader with a two-speed gearbox. This suggests that Stellantis is behind a larger number of EVs with gears. That’s all you need to know about Stellantis’s goals: they’re clear. Stellantis definitely wants Jeep to stand out from the rest, since electric cars, including trucks and off-road SUVs, are going to be the most popular type of car in the next few years. Because Jeep has always put off-road abilities first, it can’t just jump into the EV business. A motor with two speeds could be useful. Porsche and Audi use their two gears to speed up off the line and at top speed. Stellantis’s invention suggests that an EV should have both on-road and off-road gear. Big low-end torque is useful off-road but wasteful on the road. A two-speed gear lets Stellantis have it both ways. “Off-road driving a vehicle usually necessitates sustained low-speed, high-torque operation.” In cars with internal combustion engines, this is usually done by adding gears to the transfer case. Unfortunately, Stellantis’ patent filing says that single-speed gearboxes can make strong torque, but they can’t make high torque for a long time in battery electric cars. Two sets of planetary gears would be placed between the axles and the electric motor to make up the transmission. The electric SUV can turn like a tank, just like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Hummer EV. It has two sets of gears. Because tank turns are bad for off-road trails, Rivian took away the feature it had mentioned before. Even though Stellantis filed for a patent, a two-speed gearbox will still be added to one of their products soon, if ever. For an electric Jeep Wrangler, though, it makes sense.
