The future of Toyota EVs is going to be very exciting. Besides the developments in performance, range, and efficiency Toyota’s EV future may include something from the past. Based on a recent patent filing by Toyota, a clutch-operated manual transmission may be on the future option list for your next Toyota. So how exactly does a manual transmission work in an EV? Let’s find out.
In today’s EV market transmissions are basically non-existent. In Tesla products, there is no shifting and only a 1-speed transmission. Then Porsche and Audi use 2-speed transmissions for better response at higher speeds for better performance on the German Autobahn. But outside of these two EV heavyweights transmissions don’t really have a place in modern EVs.
Toyota plans to change all of this. In their patent filing, Toyota basically created a traditional clutch-activated manual transmission with a familiar shift lever as you’d find on a GR86. In Toyota’s patent filing they explain, “The controller of the electric vehicle is configured to control the torque of the electric motor using the MT vehicle model based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo-shifter.”
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The word pseudo is an interesting inclusion since it implies that this entire transmission is all for fun and not required for the operation of the vehicle. To improve the feel of this innovative system Toyota will add, “The electric vehicle also includes a shift reaction force generator that generates a shift reaction force in response to the operation of the pseudo-shifter using by the operating of the reaction force actuator.”
This means Toyota EVs could have a simulated manual transmission that includes movement that you’d find in a connect manual in a sports car. The commitment to retaining fun in the EV future makes us excited to see what Toyota has in store for us.
Source: US Patent and Trademark Office