Lexus Is Developing a Manual Transmission for EVs

Lexus Is Developing a Manual Transmission for EVs

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury auto brand, is working on making a manual transmission for EVs. According to the auto publication Evo Magazine, Lexus is hoping to “[augment] an entire combustion-powered driving experience in a low-carbon EV,” combining a highly engaging driving experience with a more efficient and environmentally friendly car.

Combined with the brand’s own DIRECT4 twin-motor—which facilitates one-wheel, two-wheel, or all-wheel drive—Lexus’s electric manual transmission will use haptics to mimic the feel of a traditional stick shift experience. The system will use a gear stick and a clutch pedal like any other manual setup, but the two won’t be connected; instead, software will work to coordinate both elements’ movements and respond via audio and haptic feedback. The system will even adjust the electric powertrain’s torque in real-time. Evo says the experience should be so realistic that drivers will be able to stall Lexus’s stick-shift EVs if they haven’t brushed up on their shifting skills for a while.

Lexus Is Developing a Manual Transmission for EVs

Lexus plans on pairing the electric manual transmission with its new steer-by-wire system, the latter of which will be present in all of its EVs from the 2023 RZ onward. Both systems represent a larger foray into driving components that (controversially, we should mention) lack any mechanical connection to the driveline. So far, Lexus has only combined the technologies in a working prototype based on the UX300e crossover.

The Venn diagram of vehicles with a stick shift and EVs is…well, slim. In 2020 Hyundai introduced the third iteration of its i20 supermini, which runs on gas but can come with a virtual clutch. Earlier this year, Ford was found to have filed a patent for an electric-clutch manual transmission that would allow the driver to skip the clutch pedal and shift using only their hand—but the automaker has yet to unveil a vehicle that uses the technology. Now Toyota is following up on its own electric clutch patents, which were discovered by a Toyota enthusiast and shared via message board in February.

It’s hard to tell how successful Lexus’s software-based electric clutch will be. At first, it’s hard to imagine that someone in search of an EV would also seek out manual transmission; they’re on opposite ends of the modernity spectrum. On the other, EVs with stick shifts might become popular with people who’d otherwise be resistant to the building “shift” (get it?) toward EVs.

Continue reading

Nokia Is Developing a 4G Network on the Moon With 5 KM Range
Nokia Is Developing a 4G Network on the Moon With 5 KM Range

According to Thierry Klein, who runs the Enterprise and Industrial Automation Research Lab at Bell Labs, a previously aborted space LTE project has given it a headstart on deploying LTE on the moon.

Microsoft Is Developing an AI Upscaling Engine to Improve Xbox Visuals
Microsoft Is Developing an AI Upscaling Engine to Improve Xbox Visuals

Microsoft wants to implement its own machine learning solutions for Xbox, possibly in competition with AMD's FSR or Nvidia's DLSS.

MIT is Developing an All-In-One Means of Diabetes Treatment
MIT is Developing an All-In-One Means of Diabetes Treatment

A more streamlined approach like the one being developed may aid in the long-term success of at-home diabetes management.

Report: Apple Developing a 20-inch Foldable iPad / MacBook Hybrid
Report: Apple Developing a 20-inch Foldable iPad / MacBook Hybrid

The company's hybrid iPad/Macbook is reportedly in development, but you won't be seeing it anytime soon.