Toyota is taking the EV synthetic driving experience to a whole other level. In a patent filing picked up by CarBuzz.com, the Japanese manufacturer might be looking to develop a ‘manual transmission’ system for EVs that copies everything you would expect from a stick-shift…and we mean everything.
That includes stalling the vehicle when releasing the clutch too fast when coming from a stop. How does it ‘stall’ exactly? Setting aside the fact that the system actually includes three pedals, if you rush the clutch from a stop, the system will cut torque from the motor and apply the brakes, effectively mimicking a stall on a traditional stick-shift.
And that’s not all. The system will also intentionally jerk the car if you shift to a high gear too early, and will also allow the car to roll back if your clutch work is sloppy on hills. This is all really interesting stuff from Toyota. We’ve seen simulated engine sounds and rev limiters before, but never to this level. Is it perhaps all too much?
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It’s a niche market, for sure, as most stick-shift drivers and enthusiasts would rather use an actual manual transmission connected to an internal combustion engine. But as the future of mobility heads towards electrification, it’s good to see Toyota doing what it can to preserve the experience of driving stick despite the shift.
Besides, the system also mimics other more enthusiast-focused things that a manual transmission can do. That includes dumping the clutch for an aggressive launch and possibly the ability to do a clutch kick when drifting if paired with a rear-mounted motor. Come to think of it, a manual handbrake would be icing on the cake.
The system is still in its conceptual stages, and we’re not likely to see it in production for at least a couple of years, if at all. But if Toyota can actually make this happen, what chassis would you like to see it in?
