Toyota is contemplating pretend engine sounds and a guide transmission for a future electrical sports activities automotive, chairman Akio Toyoda mentioned in a latest interview with Autocar. The intention is to copy the total expertise of a gasoline automotive—together with a few of the less-fun elements.
Toyoda, who lately stepped down as CEO and is the grandson of the the automaker’s founder, mentioned the sports activities automotive will drive and sound similar to a combustion-engine automotive—with out the odor of gasoline.
“You possibly can truly hear the engine noises,” Toyoda mentioned, including that “there may be additionally a guide transmission and a clutch pedal.”
2023 Toyota Supra
The guide gearbox and clutch will not be linked on to the driveline, Toyota chief engineer Takashi Watanabe mentioned in the identical article. As a substitute, the automotive will simulate shifts and alter torque, to the purpose the place it may even be programmed to let a automotive roll again on hills—and even stall.
With a handful of exceptions, EVs do not have (or want) multi-speed transmissions of any type. They might even damage effectivity. However Toyoda is an enormous proponent of driver involvement, and guide gearboxes in efficiency EVs could be one approach to obtain that.
The promise of driver involvement may clarify why there’s been a lot speak of guide transmissions for EVs. Toyota’s Lexus division introduced final 12 months that it was testing a software-based system to simulate guide shifting. And several other suppliers, together with ZF, have made an attraction for multi-speed transmissions for EVs. Main engineers and R&D executives usually say it isn’t price it although.
2022 Toyota GR86
The concept of a Toyota electrical sports activities automotive is not new. The automaker mentioned it was engaged on one in 2012, and the concept of a guide transmission was additionally talked about. In 2016, Toyoda took the lead of the corporate’s electrical automotive operations. In 2021 Toyota teased ideas previewing a few of 30 new EVs globally by 2030, with a sports activities automotive amongst them.
Such a sports activities automotive may make the most of the battery advances for the longer term outlined earlier this week—together with a solid-state battery due in 2027, with the potential for 10-minute fast-charging.