Kreisel Electric Presents Automated 2-speed Gearbox for Electric Vehicles

The Austrian company Kreisel Electric is one of the most progressive and forward-looking businesses in the E-vehicle industry. Products of Kreisel (namely batteries) picked up prizes for being lighter than those offered by other firms. Kreisel also managed to convert Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mercedes Benz G-Class to an E-power.

Recently, the company, in collaboration with Sala Drive, has designed an automated 2- speed gearbox intended for application in electric powertrains. The new product is ready for manufacturing and can handle inputs of up to 800 horsepower and 813 Nm of torque. Such enhanced load capacity makes this gearbox perfect for application in trucks and buses up to fifteen tons. The gearbox can operate jointly with double-motor axles as well as single-motor arrangements.

Cutaway of Kreisel gearbox

The process of shifting from one gear to the next one takes about 0.25 seconds, because of embedded sensors that permanently monitor this operation. A limited-slip differential (LSD) is also integrant to the gearbox to guarantee unceasing torque application even on greasy roads. A built-in oil tank and electric oil pump deliver needed lubrication under any driving conditions without the intervention of the driver. The gearbox also has a modular interface that supports a variety of motor and gearbox applications.

One of the peculiarities of electric cars up to the present day has been their technical simplicity in comparison with cars equipped with IC-engines and conventional gearboxes. Adding a gearbox to an electric car may look like a setback from this trend. But having such a transmission at your disposal could result in production of commercial cars with smaller, light-weight, and less expensive battery packs, which would make it possible to equip more cars with electric powertrains.

About Kreisel Electric GmbH & Co KG

Kreisel Electric is an Austrian company specialized in production of electric systems and battery storage for electric cars. The company was established in 2014 by Kreisel brothers and has been one of the leading representatives of e-mobility and electrification trends in the world of cars from then onward. The company designs the world’s lightest-weight and most powerful batteries. Today, the company designs products for various means of transportation (from motor cars to aircrafts).