Electric vehicle transmission types and setups: a general review

Over the last decade, electric vehicles (EV) have changed the global automobile industry driven by the progress of electronics and powertrain systems. New controllers are manufactured and research has been made not only on motors but on transmissions as well. This paper focuses on describing the types of gearboxes available - continuous variable (CVT), automatic, manual- with their pros-cons and the experiments done with different gearsets (plan and gear numbers - single or multigear transmissions - on urban or highway cycles to maximise energy efficiency). Gearshift strategies are also a big area of interest alongside simulations testing various gear ratios handled by complex controllers and control algorithms to ensure smooth driving and performance with minimal to low jerk and torque interruption. The aim of this paper is to completely report the work done on transmission software and hardware improvements but also on the top of the shelf technology that the current EVs implement.