In the old era of internal combustion cars, cars with four-wheel drive, in addition to their advantages such as their off-road capabilities, were generally synonymous with higher consumption, higher weight and greater mechanical complexity. But all that has changed with electric cars, which have moved to rear-wheel drive in a very effective way. But why is this so? doHow does it affect driving??
Rear-wheel drive, perfect for the city
Where does the propulsive impulse What generates an engine in a vehicle? To the wheels that make movement possible. But you have to be clear about which pair of wheels. That is what the type of traction of the car is about, which determines precisely this detail, and which can be transmitted directly to the front wheels, the rear wheels or all four.
It all depends on the type of traction that the vehicle has, and there, electric cars do it with a rear-wheel drive that is arousing the curiosity of many drivers, especially newcomers. In this direction, however, front and rear wheel drive are used most for urban driving.
Having eliminated the technical complexities and the increased cost of this type of traction, many manufacturers have opted for the option of offering, as standard, an electric motor that drive rear axle and, optionally, in some models, the all-wheel drive, adding the second in the front. Towards this, what we have are vehicles that are becoming more and more complete, and that also do notably differ from conventional combustion ones.
Its relation to the placement of the batteries and the motor
Traditionally, we have been talking about two-wheel drive vehicles, either front or rear, and four-wheel drive. But the arrival of new technologies and alternative, hybrid and electric propellants opens up a whole range of possibilities that will allow the future manufacture of more efficient, affordable and safe.
And there, with regard to electrified cars (especially in 100% electric ones), they use a rear-wheel drive system that is being seen as one more step forward in the compelling technology of these vehicles. Thus, in this type of traction, the power of the engine is transmitted to the rear wheels.
It is also known as propulsion or rear propulsion and it can be said that it is the oldest modality, a system that achieves a weight distribution more balanced between the two axes, which improves traction and also better distributes the effort of the tires, so important in this class of vehicle. The main reason has to do with the batteries and the motor they equip.
In the case of the stack, it is always placed on the floor as low as possible and centered between the axes to center the masses and lower the center of gravity as much as possible. As for the engine, which is usually much more compact and lighter than a traditional one, it makes it easier to place anywhere (also due to the exclusion of the gearbox).
This is how it works and how it influences driving
In this way, what the technicians do is to go to this solution and place the propeller on the rear axle so that, in this way, the weight on that axis that is chosen as the motor is increased. The reason is none other than to transfer the power to the ground so that it is done in a much easier way by applying to the wheels that do not steer, which are always straight and perfectly parallel and rotate at the same speed.
However, it must also be taken into account that in these cases the electric motor is considerably smaller and less heavy than a combustion motor, which allows for significant facilitation in space, as well as maintaining that uniform weight distribution that can be key. . Some points that influence when driving electric cars with rear are the following:
- With less weight on the front axle, a minor help of the power steering.
- It is perfect for carrying cargo.
- On dry and regular asphalt, the rear-wheel drive has a better grip than front wheel drive.
- It allows you to enjoy sporty driving (especially in those with greater power).
