Paddon tests new gear shift system on EV
- 18th August 2021, 9:30am
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by Luke Whitten
Hayden Paddon has shared a video of the Hyundai Kona EV moving through its gearing system as part of further development in his groundbreaking project.
In what could be a stepping stone to the car making significantly more sound, it’s a development that has Paddon excited.
Moving through the gears on a stage is a huge part of the noise factor of rallying, and it’s no secret that the Kiwi has promised there will be sound in this EV once it’s fully developed.
Paddon Rallysport’s technical partner, STARD, has assisted them in getting this new gear shift system working.
“(We’re) testing our new gear shift system tonight on the Hyundai NZ Kona EV rally car,” Paddon explained.
“Thanks to our technical partner START for helping us get the system tuned up.
“A few other developments (are) in the pipeline that we are looking forward to soon testing.”
The EV is limited in its capacity for power without the gearing system as the electric motors do not spin fast enough for the car to achieve maximum torque and power.
Better battery efficiency is also achieved when using the gearing system.
“This has been an exciting challenge for our team so far as each and every time we drive it and gather data, we learn something new,” Paddon continued.
“This phase of the development is all about data collection while we tune the software and chassis to extract as much performance as we can.”
Paddon has already clinched the New Zealand Rally Championship with a round to spare, which begs the question whether his development efforts and time have moved further to the EV project now he has completed his task of winning the NZRC in his Hyundai i20 AP4.
