- Toyota is reportedly working on an artificial manual transmission for electric vehicles.
Even as the format continues to make its exit from the industry, Toyota is one of the automakers still on the side of the manual gearbox. Who would have thought? Long criticized for the boring nature of some of its vehicles, the Japanese automaker still offers four models available with a mechanical gearbox.
And while electrification would logically bring the hammer down on the stick shift once and for all, that may not be so. How is that possible? According to a patent filed by Toyota in May 2023, and obtained by CNN, the company is working on a fake manual gearbox.
EVs could feature a fake clutch that sends signals to the motor to create the sensation of shifting gears. The system would even simulate downshifting, allowing drivers to slow the vehicle by using the transmission rather than the brake, according to CNN.
Of course, all this would come about via electronics. And don’t go looking for a practical reason for it, there is none. This is purely for nostalgia purposes.
Toyota is serious about simulating the experience of driving a vehicle with a manual gearbox. The system will be able to simulate clutch misuse by making the car jerk and buck, as if the driver were releasing the clutch too quickly and weren’t properly synchronizing their movements. The only thing the system won't do is make the EV stall.
Rest assured, drivers would be able to deactivate the feature completely. In a way, it would be the best of both worlds: drivers could enjoy the sensations of a manual gearbox on a winding road, and the peace and quiet of an automatic transmission in the city and in heavy traffic.
Beyond that, this kind of technology could make driving an electric car less boring.
Toyota has not commented on the subject.