Toyota is considering fake engine sounds and manual transmissions for a future electric sports car, President Akio Toyoda said in a recent interview with car. The goal is to recreate the entire experience of a gas-powered car—including some of the less exciting parts.
Toyoda, who recently stepped down as CEO and is the grandson of the automaker’s founder, says the sports car will drive and sound like an internal combustion engine car – without the smell of gasoline.
“You can really hear the engine,” says Toyoda, adding that “there is also a manual transmission and a clutch pedal.”
Toyota Supra 2023
Toyota chief engineer Takashi Watanabe said in the same article that the manual transmission and clutch will not be directly connected to the powertrain. Instead, the car will simulate shifting and adjusting torque, so much so that it can even be programmed to roll over hills — or even stall.
With a few exceptions, electric vehicles don’t have (or don’t need) a multi-speed transmission of any kind. They can even hurt the effect. But Toyoda is a strong advocate of driver involvement, and manual transmission in EVs . performance could be one way to achieve that.
The promise of driver engagement may explain why there is so much talk about manual transmissions for electric vehicles. Toyota’s Lexus division announced last year that it was testing a software-based system to simulate manual gear shifting. And several vendors, including ZF, have made an appeal multi-speed transmission for EVs. However, top engineers and R&D executives often say it’s not worth it.
Toyota GR86 2022
The idea of a Toyota electric sports car is not new. car manufacturer indicates it is working on a in 2012, and the idea of a manual transmission was also mentioned. In 2016, Toyoda took the lead company electric vehicle operation. In 2021, Toyota revealed some preview concept models 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2030with a sports car among them.
Such a sports car could capitalize on battery advancements for the future outlined earlier this week—including solid-state batteries due out in 2027, with Fast charging in 10 minutes.
