Lexus Is Developing a 'Manual Transmission' for High-Performance EVs

Lexus: What you looking at?

With the influx of electric vehicles being developed by anyone and everyone right now, we always assumed that the switch to battery power would lead to the death of the manual gearbox. But, Lexus and Toyota appear to be working on a way to replicate the experience of driving stick in future high-performance EVs.

According to a report from Evo, Lexus is developing a manual transmission to try and make EVs more engaging to drive. Apparently, it’s all part of the automaker’s efforts to recreate the “entire combustion-powered driving experience” in an emission-free electric car.

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Instead of simply bolting a manual gearbox to an electric motor, Lexus will use an unconnected gear stick and clutch pedal to keep you involved in the whole experience of driving. To make it all feel real, the automaker is experimenting with haptic drivers to give you feedback and resistance whenever you change gear. Evo reports:

Toyota and Lexus engineers will also work to augment the torque being delivered from the electric powertrain. This, Toyota says, means it will be able to recreate “any engine and transmission combination through both sound and torque deliveries from the powertrain.”