Drive technologies determine effective ship speed and therefore influence flight time and deuterium consumption. Each ship uses the drive assigned by its catalog definition rather than an arbitrary technology chosen by the player.
How does drive level increase speed?
The current simplified model is base speed × (1 + 0.10 × active drive level) × (1 + speed bonus). That means 10% of base speed per level of the relevant drive before additional bonuses.
Which ship controls fleet travel time?
The slowest one. Adding a single slow unit can therefore lengthen the entire mission even when every other ship is much faster.
Can a ship switch to another speed profile?
Yes, when its definition contains an alternate profile. The catalog supports threshold-based switches including Impulse Drive 5 and Hyperspace Drive 8 for units that define corresponding speed2/consumption2 values. This does not automatically apply to every ship.
Impulse Drive and missiles
Impulse Drive also sets Interplanetary Missile range: maximum system difference is 5 × Impulse Drive level − 1.
FAQ — drives
Does a higher drive always shorten a flight?
Only if it improves the unit currently limiting that fleet.
Does faster flight increase fuel linearly?
No. Deuterium consumption uses a nonlinear formula involving speed, distance and ship profile.
Related FAQ: What does Computer Technology do? · How do combat technologies work?