IMO it’s easier to relate to the math when units are handled correctly. Torque should be lb-ft which is abbreviation of pounds X feet. Though it has been used too commonly on internet, especially as of late, lb/ft is incorrect and probably adds to confusion. We don’t divide, we multiply.
An easy way to remember is to visualize a 200-pound man placing all his weight at end of a 4-foot-long horizontal lever, thus making 800 lb-ft (200 lbs X 4 ft). It’s then easy to visualize a 100-pound small woman placing her entire weight at end of an 8-foot-long horizontal lever making the same 800 lb-ft (100 lbs X 8 ft). The fact that woman weighs half as much as large man doesn’t matter because longer lever compensates to create same torque (as if trying to tighten a very large lug nut). Gearing works in a similar manner, particularly at zero speed, though gets a bit more complicated because speed affects power, and how much useful work can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In simple example I described above the small woman may be able to create same 800 lb-ft of final torque by using a longer lever, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she can tighten the lug nuts in the same amount of time unless she can move the end of lever twice as fast. The math is indeed very simple, but understanding the principles behind the numbers is what’s crucial, otherwise all kinds of wrong conclusions will come from it.
Yeah, it’s an entirely different game when comparing electric vehicles to those powered by internal combustion engines. Most drivers today don’t like engines revving to higher RPMs, yet in a car like the new Bolt the electric motor will be spinning at over 10,000 RPM when cruising at normal interstate highway speeds. Fortunately it won’t matter to them because the electric motor is extremely smooth and quiet even at those high RPMs. There is also no tachometer to provide feedback on motor speed so it falls under the what you don’t know won’t hurt you umbrella.
An example of how different latest BEVs operate regarding gearing compared to ICE-powered cars is my old Mustang. First gear is 2.99 to 1 and final is 3 to 1, for a total of 8.97 to 1 overall ratio at launch. Essentially the new Bolt is geared considerably lower than my Mustang when in 1st, and the Bolt stays in its fixed ratio even when cruising at 75 MPH or faster. There’s no real direct comparison because no one would drive an ICE Mustang at 75 MPH in first gear even if the car could.
I learned to drive on 3-speed manual-transmission vehicles and agree that more gears are beneficial, but think that going to 10 speeds is mostly overkill, and driven largely by marketing. Depending on engine power and vehicles’ intended duty cycle, between 6 and 8 should be plenty for most applications. I know greater numbers of gears are done to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency but there is a point of diminishing improvements relative to added costs and complexity. This will soon become a moot point with transition to electrification so won’t matter anyway.
They must’ve had contingency plans for something like this, they just take time to implement. There’s no way they could tolerate that level of risk without some kind of backup plan.
The difference is tq at the wheels, Rick did the math for you but gearing and rpm make it effectively the same thing. With ICE you usually run out of RPM (or gears in the trans, which is why they keep adding more) on the top end when you increase gearing, but if GM's claims about more RPM out of the electric motor and efficient are true then you aren't giving anything up.
I don't know if you ever built a drag car or race car, but you usually increase gear ratio in the rear until you're trapping at or close the rev limiter in top gear, which makes you faster but you sacrifice top end and especially highway manners if it's not an OD trans.. but it gets you off the line quicker and makes the car faster in the 1/4 or whatever you're doing. If there's more RPM available then there isn't much of a trade off.