If you think electric vehicles might lack the engagement of an internal combustion engine car, then Toyota might have a solution.
The Japanese carmaker has patented a clutch-operated manual transmission that could find its way into future EVs from the brand.
Currently, most EVs use a single-speed reduction-gear transmission, although some manufacturers like Porsche and Audi use a two-speed transmission for high-speed electric driving.
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It’s not clear how the Toyota manual would work but it has a similar shift layout to that of the soon-to-arrive GR86 coupe.
The patent filing says: “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.”
Toyota has thrown the word ‘pseudo’ in the filing quite a lot, highlighting that while the transmission will give the feeling and experience of a manual shifter, it might not actually serve any purpose for the operation of the vehicle.
The filing details a “shift reaction force generator” that would mimic the force and movement experienced in a manual car when changing gears, to make it feel more authentic.
There’s no indication what sort of vehicle this would be used in, but given Toyota announced late last year that it would launch 30 EVs by 2030 under both Toyota and Lexus brands.
Given the preference of many people for a manual gearbox in a sports car, there’s a good chance this new EV transmission could show up in one of the sporty models shown in December.
Until then, fans of Toyota’s manual sports cars will have to make do with the upcoming second-generation GR86 that’s due in the second half of 2022, as well as the GR Yaris hot hatch.
At the moment the Supra coupe does not come with a manual, but reports have suggested that it is imminent.
