Honda develops “Manual Transmission” for EVs

Honda has developed a manual transmission with clutch pedal for its next electric car. However, it is not a true mechanical setup, but one that works with software that controls the electric powertrain to simulate the feel of the gears being shifted.

This information was revealed to The Drive last week by a Honda engineer during a test drive of a prototype of Honda's upcoming 0 Series family of EVs, although the engineer did not say whether there are plans to bring this feature to production.

Because electric motors produce maximum torque from zero rpm, EVs do not need a multi-speed transmission like gas-powered vehicles. Therefore, most EVs are equipped with a single-speed automatic transmission, and sometimes a two-speed transmission is used when high-speed efficiency is required.

However, a manual transmission, such as the one developed by Honda, would make driving an EV much more enjoyable. For this reason, Toyota has also developed a manual transmission for EVs and plans to make it commercially available. In Toyota's design, shifting gears will also be simulated.

Hyundai has already introduced software to simulate shifting in the Ioniq 5 N. In the Ioniq 5 N, the software simulates the shifting of an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Not everyone is a fan of such systems. Test driver Lars Kern told us in August that Porsche considered using such technology in its sporty EVs, but decided against it because it would go against its commitment to going as fast as possible. To simulate the feel of gear shifting, power flow interruption is used to give the characteristic jolt during gear shifting.

Some aftermarket companies are combining factory manual transmissions with electric powertrains. Even Ford rolled out an electric Mustang demonstrator with a manual in 2019. However, no major automaker has announced plans to bring such a system to market.