What's the difference between a CVT and an eCVT? Please Explain??

[MONK]

I'm looking for my next car and have some questions about a CVT v an eCVT. I'm probably going to end up with a sporty 4dr sedan (think Hyundai Elantra N or something similar). I do NOT want a manual. I can drive them just fine but I don't want to mess w/shifting my own gears (unless it's via paddle shifters). I currently have a 2021 Honda HRV w/a CVT. I hate the transmission. There are very few cars out there in my price range (under ~$35k) that are sporty and offer an automatic tranny (DCT or torque convertor style). There are however some that have an eCVT (think Subaru WRX).

I was always under the impression that an eCVT was basically a beefed up CVT however after watching a few YT videos, it appears the eCVT doesn't have a belt. It's my understanding that the weak spot in a CVT is the belt/chain (think Ryker). Can someone explain the differences between a CVT and an eCVT or point me to a good tutorial/video? Are eCVTs ok for performance (not Porsche performance but more along the lines of an Elantra N or WRX, both of which have close to 300hp)? Do they have the same drawbacks as the regular CVT (belt wear, overheating, etc)?

Please, someone explain it to me like I'm a 12 year old.

TIA!

[wyliec]

http://www.winnipegsynthetics.ca/art...-and-ecvt.html

I hope this is what you consider the right direction.

[Woodenfish]

Vehicles with older designs of engines that are unable to maintain emissions standards during transmission shift points have been resurrected with the usage of CVT transmissions in both cars and crossovers. It would be in best practice for the owner of such a vehicle to off load it before its warranty or extended service contract expires. The replacement cost is very high and the average service life is much lower than a conventional transmission. Personally, I would not recommend the purchase of any vehicle with a CVT transmission if at all possible. The quality of driving performance with a CVT power train is inadequate for most drivers needs and failure rates are too high.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I just replaced my aging Toyota Sienna van ( 16 mpg ) with a 2014 Nissan Versa Note ( 36 mpg manual trans. ) .... I looked at quite a few other similar cars ..... during my search I did some research on the CVT trans..... what I found steered me away from any cars that had them. If you get one .... good luck .... Mike

[spyderdave]

As over-simplified as this may be, picture the pulleys and belt drive on a go-kart or snowmobile. The "e" means electronically controlled.

I can't see how they can hold up long term.

[MONK]

I currently drive a 2021 Honda HRV w/a CVT. No power and I detest the CVT. As I'm looking for my next vehicle, I'm seeing a few vehicles that advertise an eCVT. I watched a video where some tech was showing the innards of the eCVT and only saw gears and no belt. I was hoping an eCVT was beltless. Guess not.

[Peter Aawen]

I currently drive a 2021 Honda HRV w/a CVT. No power and I detest the CVT. As I'm looking for my next vehicle, I'm seeing a few vehicles that advertise an eCVT. I watched a video where some tech was showing the innards of the eCVT and only saw gears and no belt. I was hoping an eCVT was beltless. Guess not.

If that eCVT you saw the innards of was what is 'normally' recognised as 'an eCVT', then it should be beltless, cos they are 'normally' based upon the 'traditional autos' that you're used to, except that they "....use electric motor/ generators to control the speeds of planetary gearset components. This allows the eCVT to continuously change the gear ratio, keeping the engine’s rpm in the sweet spot. ....." Certainly the few eCVT's that I've driven & played with here in Oz didn't have belts like those other CVT's that you've come to know & loathe!

Quoted from the link in post #2 above:

The eCVT found on the Toyota Prius and other hybrids differs from CVTs found in other vehicles, such as the 2013 Nissan Altima or 2012 Scion iQ, because it does not use a belt or chain connected to a pair of variable pulleys. Instead, an eCVT uses electric motor/ generators to control the speeds of planetary gearset components. This allows the eCVT to continuously change the gear ratio, keeping the engine’s rpm in the sweet spot. Just like when driving other CVT-equipped vehicles, drivers of vehicles with eCVTs don’t feel the step change common to traditional automatic transmissions, yet the mechanisms (planetary gears) to achieve acceleration are largely the same.