Watch the Prototype Lexus EV Manual Transmission in Action
Turns out, the long-rumored Lexus EV manual transmission is real, and it does more than just let us pretend to row through gears.
Several months ago, rumors emerged suggesting that Lexus was working on a manual transmission for EVs, which is a bit of a stunning development. After all, most all-electric vehicles don’t have a transmission at all, though some – like the Porsche Taycan – employ a two-speed unit to help with performance at the top end, where EVs tend to fall a bit flat. Regardless, Lexus wants to keep enthusiasts happy as it transitions to electrification, and it feels like giving us the ability to row our own gears is the way to do precisely that. Now, a video has emerged from the folks at EVO Magazine showing the prototype Lexus EV manual transmission in action.
The short clip shows a right-hand drive vehicle tooling around public roads, and there are quite a few interesting takeaways worth noting. For starters, the EV has some fake engine sounds being piped in, a feature that’s rather controversial yet could also prove helpful for those of us that like to shift based on what we hear rather than what the tach says. Speaking of a tachometer, there’s also a functioning one present in this prototype, which likely signals that this may be more than a “simulated” Lexus EV manual transmission, as many have speculated.
Indeed, Lexus insists that this feature is about more than just giving us the capability or sense that we’re changing gears. The gearbox isn’t physically connected to the electric motor(s), but rather, the clutch pedal and gear selector rely on haptic feedback. Combined with the sounds and tach, the idea here is to replicate the experience of banging through the gears in an old ICE vehicle, similar to the clutch-by-wire systems that have shown up in everything from Hyundai models to Koenigsegg hypercars.
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What makes this EV manual gearbox more interesting is the fact that it will apparently be able to augment the torque coming from the electric powertrain, and it will respond just like a real row-your-own transmission – it’ll even stall out, apparently. As for when we might see this interesting new piece in a production vehicle, well, that’s currently unclear, though prior rumors suggested that it will debut in the forthcoming Lexus EV coupe, based on the BEV Sport Concept. For now, we’ll reserve judgement until we actually get to test out this fascinating piece of technology, but it certainly seems intriguing, if not a suitable replacement for the real thing.
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