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The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

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Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Leaving all the other cars next to you in the dust is quite antisocial behavior actually. As a motorcycle rider I disagree, it's the safest option for us. I get that not everyone is pleased about it, though.

> As a motorcycle rider I disagree, it's the safest option for us. Things are different if you're in a 4000+lb electric vehicle. The bigger the vehicle, the more polite it is to stick with the rest of traffic (or even let people pass you).

According to you.

From a safety perspective, in stop and go traffic, the heavier the vehicle the more I want it traveling in front of me not behind me. Unless I'm certain I can completely escape its field of influence like when splitting lanes on a motorcycle.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#82
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question: how is this antisocial behavior? I understand wanting to stick with the flow of traffic when you're part of the pack, but if you're in front of the pack, what's the advantage (to anyone) of hanging back?

1. By accelerating dramatically off the line, you're telling the other cars that they are driving too slowly. 2. Alternatively: you may be sending a signal that you want to drag-race with someone. And nobody likes it when drag-racers start playing on public roads. Keep that stuff off the streets and on the track only. Now sure, if the cars next to me are driving slowly, I'll leave them in the dust. But its not someth…

Since when is the priority to not offend the drivers around you?

We must live in completely different worlds.

My comment re: antisocial was more in reference to noise pollution and disturbing residents at home where they have a reasonable expectation of peace and quiet.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. By accelerating dramatically off the line, you're telling the other cars that they are driving too slowly. 2. Alternatively: you may be sending a signal that you want to drag-race with someone. And nobody likes it when drag-racers start playing on public roads. Keep that stuff off the streets and on the track only. Now sure, if the cars next to me are driving slowly, I'll leave them in the dust. But its not someth…

Since when is the priority to not offend the drivers around you? We must live in completely different worlds. My comment re: antisocial was more in reference to noise pollution and disturbing residents at home where they have a reasonable expectation of peace and quiet.

> Since when is the priority to not offend the drivers around you?

Caring about others is pretty much rule #1 about living in a polite society. People who don't care about others are called sociopaths, literally anti-social behavior.

Prioritizing safety on the streets, making sure you send clear signals with your actions, etc. etc. Its all part of driving and being a good citizen on the road. Part of that is absolutely understanding how others perceive your driving behaviors: if you're driving too slow, too quick, if your high-beams are too bright, etc. etc.

Its also about understanding why motorcycles lane split (safety + efficiency), and other behaviors. And a lot of it is cultural: different areas have different cultures so its not a one-size fit all approach either.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When a car does it silently without being overtly antisocial they do it far more often.

Leaving all the other cars next to you in the dust is quite antisocial behavior actually. For the most part, I want to accelerate with everyone else when that green light goes off (except for Trucks: I wanna leave Trucks in the dust and get away from them ASAP). The 30mph to 60mph acceleration of off-ramp into freeway cruising speed however, is pretty important. A lot of things are going on when I merge onto a freewa…

That's ridiculous. The more cars you drive near, the more likely there is to be a collision. I take off from lights to get away from the pack, and I drive away from the packs on the highway. If there's nobody near you, you can't hit them.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#85
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leaving all the other cars next to you in the dust is quite antisocial behavior actually. For the most part, I want to accelerate with everyone else when that green light goes off (except for Trucks: I wanna leave Trucks in the dust and get away from them ASAP). The 30mph to 60mph acceleration of off-ramp into freeway cruising speed however, is pretty important. A lot of things are going on when I merge onto a freewa…

That's ridiculous. The more cars you drive near, the more likely there is to be a collision. I take off from lights to get away from the pack, and I drive away from the packs on the highway. If there's nobody near you, you can't hit them.

The #1 factor in collisions is actually speed differential.

If you are driving at a dramatically different speed than everyone else, you increase the chance of collision. I'm not saying drive like grandma: I'm saying drive the same speed as everyone else, to minimize the risk of collision. If you're too slow, you are as dangerous as going too quickly.

Someone going 40 mph in a 60mph zone is just as dangerous as someone going 80 mph in a 60mph area. Speed differential is what causes accidents. If everyone is driving the same speed, its relatively difficult to actually hit anyone (as long as you stay out of people's blindspots). That's why downshifting to 3rd (or even 2nd) to reach 60mph ASAP while getting onto a highway is important to me.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which seems pretty reasonable...large family sedan vs a sports sedan. Besides, when the new Tesla roadster rolls out in 2020/2021, it is game over for everyone else anyway. At a price point of ~$200k, it'll kind of make the Porsche Taycan a joke. Unless you are a Porsche only individual. Which, to their credit, is a fairly sizable market.

Replying here because I can't to child. Tesla's capex being lower than depreciation doesn't mean that they're not maintaining their production lines (but neither does it mean they're not - the two are largelty unrelated). Depreciation is set by accounting policy, not by how much maintenance capex you'd need to spend to keep the facility in the same condition.

Side note, but when you see a missing reply option it's an attempt to slow down fast replies.

You can still reply though, you just need to click on the time stamp above the comment and you'll get a reply box for that comment.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#87
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question: how is this antisocial behavior? I understand wanting to stick with the flow of traffic when you're part of the pack, but if you're in front of the pack, what's the advantage (to anyone) of hanging back?

1. By accelerating dramatically off the line, you're telling the other cars that they are driving too slowly. 2. Alternatively: you may be sending a signal that you want to drag-race with someone. And nobody likes it when drag-racers start playing on public roads. Keep that stuff off the streets and on the track only. Now sure, if the cars next to me are driving slowly, I'll leave them in the dust. But its not someth…

To me, all it says is you enjoy your fast car. I don't see any reason to take offense, and if you're ahead of me, it means you're not in my way.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#88
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't an eCVT require an additional motor?

Yes, but only two small ones to control the rotational speed of the ring / planet gears.

I'm not convinced it's in the same ballpark of complexity as a 2-speed gearbox, which would need just a simple two-way friction clutch.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#89
Aside from not providing much of any performance benefit, this will introduce difficulty coordinating regenerative braking through the shift point.

One of my former employers had a group trying really hard to make a 2-speed for EVs make sense. It just doesn't. If there is an efficiency gain, it's probably better to throw the extra money and weight into the motor. An exception might be if you want to cruise at 120+ mph for long distances, but that's not realistic.

Re: The Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox

#90
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's ridiculous. The more cars you drive near, the more likely there is to be a collision. I take off from lights to get away from the pack, and I drive away from the packs on the highway. If there's nobody near you, you can't hit them.

The #1 factor in collisions is actually speed differential. If you are driving at a dramatically different speed than everyone else, you increase the chance of collision. I'm not saying drive like grandma: I'm saying drive the same speed as everyone else, to minimize the risk of collision. If you're too slow, you are as dangerous as going too quickly. Someone going 40 mph in a 60mph zone is just as dangerous as someo…

Speed differential when driving in traffic, OP said to get away from traffic. There is no differential when there is no car near you
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