Driving the Jeep Magneto, an electric concept with a manual transmission | Hacker News Reader

Driving the Jeep Magneto, an electric concept with a manual transmission

arstechnica.com

14 pointsPaulHoule16 comments

At the very end of his interview, the Jeep suit discusses electric vehicles’ silent boon - a revelation to me. I’m left longing for cities at peace - cities bustling, yet freed from combustion’s incessant white noise.

I think that electric engine in vehicle does not mean no changeable gears like in vehicles with steam powered engine. And from my POV manual is still a king, especially if your car is your work. It lowers fuel consumption (chekmate climate activists!), needs less often and less costy maintenance and still shows better performance on uphills.

It used to be true that the manual version of a gas car always had better fuel efficiency than the automatic but it hasn't been true for at least 10 years for many models.

I drive a Honda Fit which has an automatic CVT that gets better MPG than the manual version of the car and that's not unusual.

I remember some terrible CVT in the day like the Dodge Caliber (you see so many reviews of that car from people who struggled to drive it up hills and never figured out you could get OK results... if you used the paddle shifters) The one in the fit is just fine.

Some people think manual is better from a performance standpoint, certainly I get used to the feeling of a fixed relationship between speed and the engine hum but the torque converter in an automatic kicks ass when it comes to acceleration off the line.

>Some people think manual is better from a performance standpoint, certainly I get used to the feeling of a fixed relationship between speed and the engine hum but the torque converter in an automatic kicks ass when it comes to acceleration off the line.

Also don't forget that even a classic style slushbox automatic transmission can be built to easily shift faster than any driver could in a manual transmission version. For the vast majority of current "fast" cars, the automatic option will beat the manual option in a drag race.

Yep. For me driving hard in an automatic for the first time was an eye opener.

I learned to not be afraid for riding the clutch in a manual from the experience but now when the automatic vs manual debate comes around I am on the automatic team

A truth about transmission types in Jeeps was revealed to me long ago in a high mountain pass. On a particularly steep climb with the transfer case in high range and my manual transmission in 3rd with the engine desperately in need of a downshift, I dropped it to 2nd as quick as I could, but even that rapid clutch and drop of thrust cost me a huge amount of momentum. My buddy crawled past in his automatic transmission Jeep. Lesson learned. Granted, these were naturally aspirated Jeeps in thin air, so fuel injected newer models would probably have done better. Anyway, to me this idea of an electric Jeep with a manual transmission doesn't really make much sense.

Modern automatic transmissions in ICE vehicles are able to achieve better fuel economy than the manual version of the same car. Modern autos have 7+ gears and can spend more time at the optimal throttle and engine load to maximize efficiency. They also lockup in nearly every gear rather than just relying on a fluid coupling.

I'm not surprised Jeep is thinking of releasing an EV with all their legacy mechanical drivetrain, but it's going to get horrific range. The losses from going through the transmission, transfer case, drive shafts, and differentials is pretty high. It also doesn't help Wranglers make bricks look aerodynamic. The PHEV Wrangler uses 428 wh/km in highway range tests and this would likely be a little worse. The manual will have a little less loss than the auto of the PHEV, but the extra weight in batteries would probably more than offset that. For comparison, my Model 3 SR+ consumes about 150 wh/km at highway speeds. That's one of the most efficient EVs available, but even the wave of electric crossovers that have been hitting the market recently are in the low 200s wh/km.

A lot of the fun of electric cars is that the components aren't closely coupled so you can make something that is "bad" in some respects but accept some higher cost or reduced performance in certain areas (esp. range)

Contrast that to ICE cars which are the most locked-down "big government" technology you can imagine because of the tough requirements for emission controls. Even companies like Nissan, Renault, Chrysler and others merged because even automakers at that scale can't afford to keep up with changing requirements for ICEs.

The Wrangler being allowed to exist at all, ice or not, means regulations could be a lot better

>Modern automatic transmissions in ICE vehicles are able to achieve better fuel economy than the manual version of the same car.

By sacrificing performance. They upshift like it's going out of fashion.

This is why Europe loves manuals behind their tiny engines.

When it doesn’t matter how fast it spins, it doesn’t matter. See: Tesla. Also, instant torque.

Electric motors don't like operating all out (or close to it) at low rotational speeds for more than a very short time.

EV work trucks and off road toys will likely have two and maybe even three speed transmissions for the same reasons that your cordless drill does.

Because of torque?

oh oh... an electric car with a transmission (Elon tried that)

The Porsche Taycan has a two speed transmission that works quite well, so while Tesla couldn't pull it off, it's clearly possible.

I wasn't trying to say that it wasn't possible... more like it's a bad idea that complicates things for no good reason...

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