How Toyota's Fake Manual Transmission For EVs Works

In the realm of automotive technology, electric vehicles and manual transmissions appear to be trending in opposite directions. Automakers sold nearly a million EVs in 2022, more than 2.5 times the number sold in 2018. Meanwhile, the stick shift has almost gone the way of the Edsel, with the list of standard transmission vehicles shrinking each year. Most EVs put power to the wheels via a single gear in order to keep the engine running within its optimum power band, eliminating the need for a transmission altogether. While this may be a boon for simplicity and efficiency, it can make for dull driving. However, one manufacturer is working on a solution for the battery-powered doldrums.

Toyota plans to include manual gearboxes in its EVs beginning in 2026, starting with the Lexus UX 300e. Since EVs still won't require an actual transmission, the system will be essentially a computer simulation of a manual transmission, with a clutch pedal, gearshift, and audio feedback via the car's sound system to help fool the driver into thinking they are shifting a real manual gearbox.  

Tim Stevens of Ars Technica had the chance to drive a Lexus EV with the faux manual transmission designed by Toyota engineer Isami Yoichiro, who holds the patent for the system.

The six-speed spring-loaded shifter is reportedly similar to the one found in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, which come with traditional manual transmissions. 

The three pedals and shifter in the Lexus EV are also somewhat close to the consoles that have been popular with racing simulator enthusiasts for years. Despite the lack of linkage to any real gears, Stevens felt a visceral connection to the car he drove on Toyota's Tokyo test track. 

Stevens even managed to intentionally stall the car by dropping the clutch abruptly, although he wrote that "absolutely nothing physically happened within the car. The lurch, the dying of the engine sound, and the red flashing of the gear indicator all came down to software. It's all simulated, all fake, but it made me laugh just the same."

Stevens also noted that the car responded to less-than skillful driving techniques. "When I clumsily downshifted," he wrote, "the car bucked when I came off the clutch. When I rev-matched, everything was more smooth." 

[Featured image by Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Scaled | CC BY 4.0]