Toyota Patent Describes Manual Transmission for EVs
There’s no practical reason for an electric car to have a manual transmission. But in the spirit of fun, Toyota designed one.
This morning, I turned in my most recent press car, a 2022 Toyota GR86. Since I liked the last generation of the sports coupe enough to — quite seriously — consider buying one, I was curious about how much better the second generation would be. Well, the answer is a lot better. I had a blast with the latest fruit of the Toyota-Subaru partnership, as there’s noticeably more power, the interior has been dialed in, and the styling is wicked.
But unfortunately, that lovely GR86 Premium was an automatic, which sapped a lot of joy from the driving experience.
The lack of a manual option is just one of the things which makes a lot of enthusiasts wince when they think about electric cars, and that’s why I found this recent patent filing from Toyota so interesting. Our friends over at Motor Authority discovered the drawings on BZ Forums, and they detail a manual transmission setup for an electric vehicle. To be clear, there’s absolutely no practical or mechanical need for such as system — which is exactly why it’s so cool. It’s only there to make the car more fun.
As you’d expect, the transmission uses a variety of sensors to mimic the feel of changing gears, and the motor speed would respond accordingly. In the absence of a three-pedal fan, the trick gearbox could be set to function automatically, which anyone who’s been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in a manual has obviously fantasized about . What’s really wild about this proposed idea? It also allows for drivers to “stall” the vehicle, either by letting the revs dip or forgetting to push the clutch in at a light.
Now, it’s unclear if the system will support, say, rolling back on a hill. But will admit I’m a little twisted about how the stall feature made the cut here. Because it seems like if you were looking to simulate a manual transmission solely for fun, and not for training purposes, you’d want to skip the less desirable attributes. Kind of like how if people get injured at a Civil War reenactment, they don’t wind up chewing on a leather strap while someone saws off their leg.
That said, I think this tech is beyond cool, and could see a real use for it in classic cars that have been converted to electric power. What do you think? Will we ever see something like it hit the market? Shoot me a message and let me know!
Photos: United States Patent Office, Toyota