On 29 Jan, 11:40, "Roger Mills" wrote:

unless it's dramatically more efficient

It is. Different technology, with much better power/volume. However
it's not a high-torque technology, so gearing it makes sense.

Starter motors were geared in the 1950s, for starting big diesels.
Electric starter motors have always been able to run much faster than
the engines they were starting, so this was always a practical option.
It becomes a sensible option when the torque required starts to exceed
the direct torque of a motor with adequate power. So for crude low-
power motors gearing was only sensible for huge engines (obviously
gearing has an extra cost), but the better the motor tech, the smaller
the break-even point becomes.

A modern pod-car (like our Honda Jizz) is full of tiny geared motors
running seemingly huge output torques. I blame the cordless drill
makers.