A recent video shows an electric Lexus vehicle with a manual transmission. This seems a bit strange but it makes us wonder if the Lexus EV manual will be offered.
By design, electric vehicles don’t need multiple gears for the transmissions to operate properly. Gas-powered vehicles use transmissions with multiple gears to ensure the engine stays within the power band and doesn’t overwork the gears. This isn’t a problem in EVs, which translates to fewer moving parts and no need for multiple gears in the transmission. Most EVs use a direct drive transmission with only one setting.
Will We See More Exciting EVs from Lexus and Toyota?
Why would any automaker work on a multiple-gear transmission for electric vehicles? Additionally, why would they make this transmission a manual model? The logical answer for this situation is that these electric manuals will be the high-performance sports cars offered in the future. Both Lexus and Toyota brands have some impressive sports cars that should continue to offer some great driving fun as the industry moves toward electric vehicles. Will these models be offered with a real stick shift to give drivers a feeling they miss with EVs?
Does this New Manual Create More Parts?
Without any information other than a video that’s been released, we don’t know if this new Lexus EV Manual removes one of the main benefits of an electric vehicle. EVs have fewer moving parts than gas-powered vehicles. Could adding a manual transmission to an electric vehicle change this and create more parts that must be maintained when driving? This is currently unknown, but most of the information we’ve seen tells us this new manual is more of a simulated system than one that truly changes the nature of an EV.
Is Everything Fake In These New Driving Systems?
It’s not a secret that many automakers have pumped in sounds to give drivers the loud roar and grunt desired while driving a high-powered sports car. Could this be the same situation for the Lexus EV manual transmission vehicles? Technically, there’s no reason for a tachometer to show the revs and have them rise and fall while using a simulated manual transmission, but where’s the harm? Isn’t it more fun to have a car that sounds great and feels like fun than one that’s kind of boring? Of course, we want more fun.
Is This New Transmission Similar to Heading into a Virtual World?
As VR goggles get better, AI becomes more advanced, and reality blends with this new virtual world it doesn’t make sense to bring some blasts from the past forward to our new EV models. Whether it’s a new Lexus or Toyota sports car or one from another automaker that can give us the desired fun, adding the fake noises and feeling of shifting sounds like a great thing. Some automakers might even bring back the feeling of classic transmissions from the days of old, giving us a great way to enjoy an incredible drive.
Will this New Project Hit the Market?
There’s no news yet on whether or not this new Toyota transmission project will hit the market or what vehicles could have this system. This doesn’t matter as much as if it will hit the market. Considering it’s being tested on Lexus models, maybe a new Lexus EV Coupe with the Lexus EV Manual transmission will make the most sense. This new system is made to mimic the engine sounds and shifting needed in one of the Toyota four or six-cylinder engines, which gives us the idea that it could be offered on an electric sports car.
Do Any Automakers Currently Offer Electric Transmissions With More than One Gear?
Yes, the Volkswagen Group has developed a two-speed automatic transmission for high-performance electric vehicles. This transmission is currently offered in the Audi E-Tron and Porsche Taycan EVs. The higher gear ratio is available for highway cruising. We don’t know what benefits a new manual for EVs would be for Toyota, but that’s something we might see in the near future.
The bottom line is the new Lexus EV Manual could be an attempt to add a more engaging drive to electric vehicles that are removed with the quiet ride and single-gear transmission. Does this new manual transmission sound appealing to you? It might once you drive an EV for several years using only the direct drive transmission.
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