VIDEO: Electric car with manual transmission from Lexus
A really strange concept
Yes, you read that right. Although the way electric cars work has resulted in the removal of the manual gearbox, Toyota now wants to bring it back. More specifically, the automotive giant is developing a technology for manual transmission in electric cars , with the aim of making them more attractive to drive .
Responsible for the whole project is Lexus , which in the future will take over the development of all Toyota’s high-performance electric cars in general. Although the whole idea seems completely counterintuitive, Lexus emphasizes that the technology will not be limited to the action of changing gears. Instead, it will try to simulate the entire driving experience of a car with an internal combustion engine , when in reality the driver will be controlling a low-emission electric vehicle.
How exactly will the technology work? No, there won’t be a manual transmission on the rear end of any electric motor. Instead, there will be a gear lever and a clutch pedal in the car that won’t connect…anywhere! Their usefulness will be the “feeling” they give the driver.
To make the electric vehicle look like its internal combustion counterpart, there will be smart software that will receive the data from the fake shifter and clutch pedal and play corresponding sounds inside the cabin. At the same time, other technologies already available in today’s electric cars will be used to enhance the “feel”.
In particular, this system will also affect the torque delivered by the electric drive system . Also, “clumsy” gear changes will be accurately translated and if the driver doesn’t change gears correctly, the electric will go out (!), just like in a normal internal combustion car.
