Toyota has filed several patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that simulates the operation of a multi-speed manual transmission in electric vehicles. In today’s world, most EVs feature a single-speed reduction gearbox, although some carmakers do use two-speed transmission in cars like the Porsche Taycan, Pininfarina Battista and Rimac Nevera.
According to Toyota’s patents, the proposed manual transmission for EVs is aimed at drivers who are accustomed to shifting their own gears or simply want the enjoyment of operating one. The system is described as being able to switch between control modes of regular driving and a simulated H-pattern manual.
The controls for the latter include a “pseudo-clutch pedal” and “pseudo-shifter,” which suggests that the system only provides the feeling of a manual transmission but doesn’t provide any purpose for the operation of the vehicle, unlike a regular internal combustion engine car. Said pedal also comes with a “shift reaction force generator” to provide the sensation you’d normally get when a clutch drags on a flywheel when partially disengaged.
Depending on the shifter position that corresponds to an arbitrary virtual gear, the torque characteristics with respect to the rotational speed of the electric motor are stepwise different. A controller also calculates the virtual engine speed of the virtual engine based on the selected virtual gear, which is displayed on a tachometer.
Last December, Toyota and its luxury division, Lexus, presented a slew of prototypes that preview potential EVs that could be part of its line-up by 2030. Several sports cars were part of the mix and this technology could make its way into them, although we don’t know if Toyota will develop things further beyond just filing patents.
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