The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Why do internal combustion vehicle engines require transmission gears to optimize power output but electrical vehicle motors (i.e. cars, locomotives) don't?
That makes sense. But why can't internal combustion engines just directly drive the wheels like electric motors?
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Internal combustion engines have a relatively narrow band of operating RPMs where they generate their maximum power output. This is why transmission gears are necessary to keep the engine operating within this band. Electric motors, on the other hand, can produce their maximum torque and power across a much wider range of operating RPMs.