Can a 'Virtual' Manual Transmission Bring the Stick Shift to Electric Cars?
Lexus is apparently working on a "virtual" manual transmission, reports the Verge, "to find out if the stick shift can survive the electric revolution..." British car enthusiast publication Evo reported this week that Lexus, which now leads Toyota's high-performance EV efforts, is developing a kind of shifting system that mimics the feel of a clutch and a stick shift in an electric car. Of course, it comes without the traditional mechanical connections for such a transmission because an EV doesn't need those things, but it mimics the motions involved with three-pedal driving. The company has even been showing it off on a special version of the Lexus UX 300e, an electric crossover not sold in the U.S. Evo reports the "transmission" has an unconnected gear stick and clutch coupled to the electric powertrain, with fake internal combustion sounds and software that augments the electric torque output. In other words, it's a full-on pretend manual in an EV, complete with the "vroom vroom" sounds.... If this electric transformation really happens, being an enthusiast in the future could mean paying big bucks to simulate the things that got lost along the way. Their headline puts it less charitably. ("Lexus could save the stick shift for EVs, if drivers are willing to pretend.") But Evo writes that Toyota's ultimate goal is "making EVs more engaging to drive," noting it's also equipped with haptic drivers "to generate 'feel.'" Clumsy shifts will be accurately translated; you'll even be able to stall it. Toyota says it'll be able to theoretically recreate any engine and transmission combination through both sound and torque deliveries from the powertrain.... Takashi Watanabe, Lexus Electrified Chief Engineer, explained: "It is a software-based system, so it can be programmed to reproduce the driving experience of different vehicle types, letting the driver choose their preferred mapping...." The sound being created from this sort of system is bound to only get better too, as other factors like vibrations through the cabin could be recreated by motors in the seats. This is a system used in BMW's latest high-end Bowers & Wilkins sound systems, which use vibrating motors in the seats to create more depth to the bass coming from its speakers.... It might not be the real thing, but in a future where we don't have a choice on the matter and have to drive an EV, it might be the next best thing...
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