The electric motor generates better acceleration feel than a conventional engine, and adding physical gears more closely aligns engine rpm with the driver's inputs. (greencarcongress.com)
«And adding physical gears more closely aligns engine rpm with the driver's inputs.» (autofocus.ca)
While a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, doesn't technically have any gears, the programming of the control unit creates shift points in the rev range that feel like physical gears, and so you can change up or down as much as the engine revs allow and it feels quite similar to a conventional, geared automatic transmission. (carbuzz.com)