√Lexus developing manual transmission for electric cars, but with a twist

Lexus is developing new technology which will allow an electric car to emulate your favourite petrol four-cylinder or V8 engine, while you row your own gears.

Japanese luxury brand Lexus has announced it is working on a manual transmission for use in its future electric models.

Lexus has progressed as far as adding a manual gearbox to a battery-powered UX300e SUV for research and testing, and says the technology allows drivers to load in the characteristics from different petrol engines.

A video released by the carmaker shows the prototype SUV being driven with a traditional H-pattern shifter, along with a clutch pedal and artificial rev counter – but the car’s electric motor and its other programmable components have been mapped to replicate a petrol car.

The theory is owners who want a more engaging driving experience could select whether they want to load the characteristics a four-cylinder petrol engine or a V8 via a dial, or allowing them to simply drive in standard battery-electric mode.

“From the outside, this vehicle is as quiet as any other [electric car]. But the driver is able to experience all the sensations of a manual transmission vehicle,” Lexus Electrified Chief Engineer Takashi Watanabe said at the announcement.

“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.”

Lexus doesn’t have a comprehensive history of offering manual transmission on its cars, with just the IS200 and IS250 having the option in Australia between 1999 and 2010 – but the technology has the potential to spawn some more interesting options.

It could eventually be possible for drivers to choose their favourite car from the past – like a fourth-generation Toyota Supra sports coupe, for example, with the electric car offering delayed power delivery to emulate lag from the Supra’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, along with its signature intake and exhaust noise piped through the cabin speakers.

While the latest announcement didn’t mention which models the manual was being developed for, some unsubstantiated media reports point to the future Lexus LFA successor as being the most obvious candidate.

Known in concept form as the Electrified Sport – with evidence suggesting it could be named the LFR when it goes on sale – Lexus promises the battery-electric vehicle will be the brand’s “future halo sportscar”, with a 0-100km/h time of approximately two seconds.

It’s likely the system is the same found in unearthed patent filings from Toyota – the parent company of Lexus – back in February 2022.

The carmaker is far from the first to work on a manual transmission for an electric vehicle, but its approach is unique.

In November 2019, Ford showed off the Mustang Lithium concept, which used a proper six-speed manual transmission – rather than software – to transfer power from the 670kW/1355Nm electric motor to the rear wheels, with billet internals to handle the high torque.

Jeep did something similar by fitting a six-speed manual transmission to the 213kW/370Nm electric motor in its Wrangler Magneto concept from March 2021, allowing the vehicle to maintain its off-road capability by keeping its wheel hubs, axles, differentials, and low-range gearbox.

In May 2021, German car company Opel based its Manta GSe ElektroMod concept on a vehicle from the 1970s, swapping out the car’s original four-cylinder engine for a 108kW/225Nm electric motor, sending drive to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual.

Rather than being a conduit for directing electric power to the wheels like the Ford, Jeep, and Opel concepts, the Lexus approach appears to be adding an artificial shifter as an input to the car’s electronic processor, in a similar way to a computer driving simulator.

Honda, meanwhile, says it has no plans to develop a manual transmission for its electric cars, despite many of the brand’s manual cars being celebrated as some of the best available.

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