#5) Project ForkenSwift electric car: shifting gears

www.ForkenSwift.com - Since the car has no clutch, people often ask how I change gears. The purpose of this video is to show just that. EV's with more power than the ForkenSwift don't need to shift much - some just leave the transmission in one gear for city driving, and only upshift for highway speeds. The ForkenSwift needs to be shifted because it's a low voltage car with a low power controller. So how is it done? With a firm hand and a little patience for upshifts, and by rev-matching the motor speed to the transmission speed when downshifting. There's no need to use a clutch in an EV when stopping or starting out. An electric motor doesn't idle like a gas engine - it stops when the accelerator is released and the car stops. At about 3 you see one potential "problem" of driving an quiet vehicle - a pedestrian steps off a curb - backwards! - into my path as I am slowly approaching. I don't think he would have backed up right into the car, but I tapped the horn to let him know I was there anyway. Disaster averted! (This has only happened to me once in 6 months.)

Tagged as: Electric, ForkenSwift, gears, Project, shifting