For now, EVs mostly come equipped with automatic transmission, and only Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-Tron GT have managed to incorporate multi-gear transmissions. At a great expense, that is. But now, it seems Toyota may also be bringing the same within reach, as per some patents filed by the Japanese automaker.
If the same truly becomes a reality, and not just on paper, EVs may become just as thrilling to drive, as ICE vehicles, with a stick.
The Use Of A Special Controller
When you go through Toyota’s multiple patents, they appear a little complicated. To break it down, Toyota wants to use a special controller that changes the torque of the electric motor, from less power to more, to make it feel more like an ICE on manual.
There might be an actual clutch pedal involved along with a stick shifter, which the patents refer to these as ‘pseudo-shifter’ and ‘pseudo-clutch pedal’. Think of these as cosmetic enhancements giving you the feel of driving the car on a stick, which an EV does not need.
For example, one of the patents, says, “The controller of the electric vehicle is configured to control the torque of the electric motor using the MT vehicle model based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo-shifter used by the operation of the reaction force actuator.”
What Is Toyota’s Vision?
What Toyota wants to do is bring in a solution very similar to what would happen if you took an ICE vehicle, and converted it into an EV, keeping the gearbox as is. When you convert or modify an ICEV into an EV, the conversions happen in a single gear. Depending on the vehicle’s RPM, it’s usually the third or the fourth gear, and you don’t use the clutch anymore because you don't need to change the gears.
In Toyota’s case, it looks like you could move the shifter, as in the stick, much like it happens in other cars where the stick responds to the accelerator, and vice versa. It is not needed, but it adds a ton of fun to driving, especially in sporty editions of cars. Driving an EV can otherwise become a bit too easy, and it’s already a bit boring minus the sound of the engine. A stick shift can add personality to just about any EV, and Toyota is upping the ante with these patents. Now if we only knew what the EVs would look like, in aesthetics, power, and of course, range. We do know there's a whole slew of upcoming EVs from Toyota...
Source: bzforums.com