Toyota's Fake Manual For EVs Might Be Too Real

Toyota has filed a patent that simulates an engine stall in an electric vehicle.

2024 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition Blue Flame

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Jun 8, at 5:07pm ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

Toyota has filed a new patent for a system that simulates an engine stall of a conventional, manual-equipped car in an electric vehicle.
The system will also measure driver skills and activate safety systems as needed.
Toyota has been testing a fake manual gearbox for electric vehicles for over three years.

Toyota has filed a new patent that will turn an electric vehicle into a tool for assessing a driver's skills. The patent is for a system that simulates an engine stall in a manual-equipped, combustion-powered car in an electric vehicle.

Toyota filed the patent in January, which was published at the end of May and first uncovered by CarBuzz. The "control system" works in conjunction with a simulated manual gearbox that features a clutch pedal and a shifting device.

It’s something the automaker is already developing.

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Toyota GR Corolla

If the driver operates the vehicle in an “unfavorable” way, such as selecting the wrong gear at the incorrect engine speed, the car stops the motor and applies the brakes, simulating a stall. This also recreates the harsh, jerky motion drivers experience in a conventional vehicle.

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The system will also be able to determine your skill level and apply appropriate safety systems as needed. Toyota’s new patent feels like an evolution of Hyundai’s fake gearshifts for the Ioniq 5 N, which can simulate hitting a rev limiter in manual mode.

Motor1’s Take: Automakers are trying to figure out how drivers can feel engaged behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Hyundai’s fake gears sound like a gimmick, but other automakers are following suit, like Lexus.

Faking It:

Lexus Debuts Its First Three-Row Electric SUV, Complete With Fake V10 Sound

The Electric BMW M3 Will Be A Quad-Motor Monster With Fake Gear Changes

Copying Homework: Mercedes Will Use Fake Gearshifts in AMG Supercar

Porsche Is Developing A Gearbox That Switches Between Manual And Automatic