The Selection of a Two-Speed Gearbox for Small Commercial Electric Vehicles Aims to Optimize Powertrain Efficiency

In response to the significant environmental challenges posed by climate change driven by global warming, the automotive industry is accelerating the transition toward electrification. While electric vehicles offer considerable potential for mitigating CO₂ emissions, their elevated upfront costs pose a notable challenge to large-scale market penetration. Energy efficiency improvement of electric vehicles is emerging field of research to reduce total cost of ownership. Electric vehicle powertrain component selection in small commercial vehicles including three and four wheelers is a complex process which has to fulfil multiple requirements which includes range, performance, drivability, packaging, total cost of ownership of vehicle and comfort. In addition, powertrain configuration including battery, motor and transmission ratio selection plays a fundamental role in cost of electric vehicle. Hence, The task of selecting the right powertrain configuration, encompassing architecture, motor selection, and gear ratio, is a critical challenge in optimizing overall vehicle performance while addressing the constraints and objectives of conventional vehicles.This study focuses on benefits of two speed transmission ratio for small commercial electric vehicle segment. The automotive market in India is analysed and the small commercial vehicle segment selected to define powertrain configuration. "The principle is grounded in the requirements for vehicle performance, design, cost, and efficiency, each of which must be carefully balanced to achieve optimal outcomes. The simulation are done to estimate motor torque/power requirements & overall gear ratios meeting the vehicle target and constraints. Based on the analysis, a comparative matrix consisting of various parameters for small commercial vehicle (SCV) application is established. The analysed results and established comparative matrix conclude that:Considering the significant volume of the electric three-wheeler (e3W) market, it would be prudent for OEMs to explore the adoption of a two-speed automatic gearbox as a standard offering for light commercial vehicles (LCVs), especially if they have previously overlooked this rapidly growing sector.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.4271/2026-26-0417
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of SAE International.
• Authors:
  • Wani, Kalpesh
  • Jadhav, Vaibhav
  • SHENDGE, RAMAN
  • Warule, Prasad
• Conference:
  • Symposium on International Automotive Technology (2026)
  • Location: Pune , India
  • Date: 2026-1-28 to 2026-1-30
• Publication Date: 2026-1-16

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commercial vehicles; Electric batteries; Electric power; Electric vehicles; Energy conservation; Gears; Transmissions; Vehicle performance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01978455
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: SAE International
• Report/Paper Numbers: 2026-26-0417
• Files: TRIS, SAE
• Created Date: Feb 2 2026 4:36PM