BMW Once Called Hyundai's Fake EV Gears A 'Funny Gimmick.' Now It's Doing Them Too

After dismissing Hyundai's simulated gear changes as unnecessary, BMW has developed its own setup.

2027 BMW i3 M60

Photo by: BMW

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Nov 13, at 2:22am ET

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BMW has had a change of heart about simulated gear changes in electric vehicles. After initially dismissing the technology as a “funny gimmick” when Hyundai introduced it on the Ioniq 5 N a few years ago, the luxury automaker is now developing its own take on the concept. Apparently, what's good for the Koreans is good for the Bavarians, too.

The feature will debut next year on the already-revealed i3 M60 xDrive, giving the electric sports sedan another trick to make driving more engaging. Rather than calling them gears, BMW refers to the simulated shifts as “Stages.”

We actually saw this coming when BMW released official images of the i3 M60 at the end of September. Although the M division stayed tight-lipped about the technical specifications, one interior photo showed red-accented shift paddles behind the steering wheel.

2027 BMW i3 M60

2027 BMW i3 M60 with paddle shifters

Photo by: BMW

Simulated Gears Are Apparently A Necessity

Speaking to Australian publication Carsales during the international launch of the new 3 Series and i3, BMW senior driving dynamics engineer Christian Heiss explained how the company initially approached the idea.

'We'd seen it before – for example, the Hyundai. We at BMW thought: well, that's a funny gimmick. We're in an electric world; why copy things out of the combustion engine?'

However, engineers working on driving dynamics eventually convinced their colleagues that the technology offered more than simply pretending an EV has a conventional transmission.

'From the driving dynamics side, we pointed out that there are some advantages to having this kind of paddle shift, in terms of drivability and feedback from the car. It's an improvement on certain kinds of drives, and especially on track.'

There's a good reason BMW now considers simulated gear changes more than just a gimmick. It argues that artificial ratios would help drivers better judge their speed when approaching corners on a track. As BMW M head of development Alexander Karajlovic explained in an interview with British magazine PistonHeads, conventional gears provide useful feedback that EVs otherwise lack. The idea is to retain those advantages without reproducing the drawbacks of a traditional gearbox.

Unlike Hyundai's N e-Shift system, BMW won't artificially limit torque depending on the selected ratio. The electric M3 will deliver the same torque throughout, allowing drivers to enjoy the sensation of changing gears without sacrificing performance. In other words, it's about adding engagement rather than introducing an artificial performance limitation.

2027 BMW i3 M60

2027 BMW i3 M60

Photo by: BMW

BMW M Tested The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

BMW subsequently tested the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and other performance EVs to see what worked and what could be improved. The feedback was positive enough to convince the company to move forward with its own interpretation, although BMW insists its approach differs from Hyundai's N e-Shift technology.

‘We've ended up with something close to a gearbox simulation, but we don't call it a gearbox simulation. It's thought [out] a bit differently, but everyone hoping for a gear shift simulation will be happy with this – hopefully even more than happy.’

BMW hasn't revealed how many of these so-called Stages the system will offer, but we already know the i3 M60 will also feature an artificial soundtrack to accompany its simulated shifts. There's plenty of power to play with, too. The dual-motor i3 M60 xDrive is expected to match the iX3 M60 with 603 horsepower and 645 lb-ft (875 Nm) of torque.

Weighing less than the SUV, the sedan could presumably accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) slightly quicker than the iX3 M60, which needs 3.9 seconds. As for top speed, BMW quotes 149 mph (240 km/h) for the high-riding model. The sedan's more aerodynamic shape could also translate into better electric range than the iX3 M60's WLTP-rated 468 miles (754 kilometers).

2027 BMW i3 M60

Source: BMW

Only M-Flavored Cars Are Getting Fake Gear Shifts

Importantly, BMW won't make the feature available across the entire i3 lineup. Heiss confirmed that simulated shifting will be reserved for M Performance models, starting with the M60. It's a safe bet that the full-fat electric M3 will also get the feature when it debuts in 2027 with even more power, especially since BMW has already confirmed a quad-motor setup.

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So much for electric cars not needing to imitate their combustion-engine predecessors. BMW once thought simulated gear changes were a funny gimmick, but now it's joining the party. Hyundai might deserve a thank-you note, and not just from Munich. Porsche offers simulated gear changes in the Taycan, while Mercedes-AMG has a similar feature in its GT 4-Door Coupe. Both also pump artificial engine sounds through the speakers.

It's a brave new world out there.