Carmakers planning fake gearshift option to make driving EVs more fun

BERLIN: An increasing number of automakers are planning to offer a pseudo-manual transmission option for EVs to make them more fun to drive.

There is no technical reason for a gearbox on an electric car since the motor in an EV does not need the extra help from different gear ratios at different speeds.

The move has been prompted by fans of the combustion engine, many of whom claim a lack of gears to choose from makes driving dull. Manufacturers like Toyota hope the new faux option will compel more motorists to switch to electric drive.

After Toyota and Hyundai recently unveiled their plans to offer next-gen cars with simulated manual gearboxes, complete with fake revving and gear shift sounds, Stellantis is following suit.

The company, which owns 14 brands as diverse as Opel, Fiat, Jeep and Maserati, said it will make fake manual transmission an option across its car ranges.

BMW boss Frank van Meel also recently said the German maker is looking into simulated gears, acoustic cues, and vibration feedback as ways for the EV to communicate with the driver.

Only a few upmarket electric cars like the Porsche Taycan sports car have a two-stage gearbox for performance reasons and these operate without driver input.

Even many combustion-engined cars with automatic transmission offer more feedback than an EV, with a manual option or paddles on the steering wheel enabling the driver to change gears manually.

The fake manual transmission will be one of two modes offered so drivers can switch to regular EV mode if they wish.

Toyota has promised its gearbox will be available within a few years but a tester from British car magazine Autocar was recently able to try out a prototype.

"The system is both remarkable and unremarkable at the same time. It's a manual transmission, and a pretty involving one at that," wrote Mark Tisshaw.

"All the usual manual features are there: engine braking, coasting and most amusingly no torque when you suddenly try and accelerate in top gear."

Autocar said the system, which has been in development for three years, will be a factory option buyers can select in models created on the new modular architecture being developed for launch in 2026.