Absolutely correct! I don't know how I forgot about that.
It's not just engine RPM, it's the most efficient speed-load point. A point in the engine RPM and load map where the engine is very efficient, and the Brake Specific Fuel Consumption is minimized.
This ability to operate an engine at an optimized speed-load point was also supposed to be one of the advantages of the continuously variable transmission. The CVT can continuously change the effective drive ratio for the vehicle, while the engine stays at the most efficient speed-load point.
The problem is that people don't expect the engine to be a "one-note song" and think there is something wrong with the vehicle. Cars with CVT's have met significant resistance because of that. Some manufacturers have actually taken to simulating conventional engine/automatic transmission sounds to keep the customer in their comfort zone.
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