As car enthusiasts know, the thrill of driving a manual-transmission vehicle is that you are in complete control. You can easily shift gears in response to changing road conditions and engine performance. This gives drivers a sense of satisfaction and connection to their cars that they don't get with an automatic transmission.
Electric vehicles offer many benefits over petrol and diesel vehicles, such as quiet operation, zero emissions and better fuel economy. But one drawback for some is the lack of a manual transmission option. With Lexus's new electric car with a manual transmission, however, these "petrolheads" may find the perfect vehicle to satisfy their need for control while also enjoying the benefits that electric cars have to offer.
Lexus has equipped a UX 300e with a shift lever and a clutch pedal. The prototype does not have an actual manual transmission. However, the UX 300e in question can simulate the presence of a manual transmission. In fact, the powertrain pretends that there is a manual transmission in the car that the driver can take through virtual gears. Clever software makes it possible to simulate the shifting experience of different types of cars - with different simulated gear ratios.
Takashi Watanabe, Lexus Electrified Chief Engineer, explained: "From the outside, this vehicle is as quiet as any other BEV. But the driver is able to experience all the sensations of a manual transmission vehicle. It is a software-based system, so it can be programmed to reproduce the driving experience of different vehicle types, letting the driver choose their preferred mapping."
With the DIRECT4 and One Motion Grip systems also being software-based, Lexus will be able to explore new opportunities for performance customisation to provide a personalised experience for each driver.
As of now, it's unclear if a "manual transmission" will ever be installed in an electric car that'll go into production. This might just end up being one of the Japanese automobile manufacturer's many experiments.
Source: Lexus
