Toyota Patented an EV Manual Transmission That Stalls, so It Feels Real

https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-wants-its-simulated-manual-evs-to-roll-backwards-and-stall-like-the-real-deal

by jyunwai • 3 years ago

28 25 3 years ago

LUmBULtERA• 3 years ago

I wish they'd spend their time making an affordable (<30k USD) EV instead...

koksik202• 3 years ago

I think they have it figured out and they are just stalling the introduction not because they lack technology but they still own a lot of stake in conventional solutions, they will probably peel away a line of cars soon for western markets that are EV and reduce sales of Corollas/Yaris with petrol engines but they will continue providing pickups/suvs for other markets. It is just they cannot slot a line of EV on top of all of the existing models and variants as they can still reap the reward of the investment they made for conventional cars. They would spread themselves too thin with a line of EVs on top of current portfolio

panick21_2• 3 years ago

Not a single car company, no matter how big or innovative had 'EV just figured out' and could easily just mass produce them. VW is the size of Toyota and was and is nowhere near that.

The idea that Toyota, a company that has nothing but stalled on EV and fought EV regulation at every step has internally already perfected every aspect of EVs is just nonsense.

Their initial products are not competitive in price or performance (or anything really).

Some people have really gone in the deep end with Toyota and believe that Toyota can not actually make mistakes. It all some 4D galaxy brain strategy. Its impossible that they simply bet on the wrong technology, had stubborn leadership, under invested in EV (and battery production) and are now paying the price. Of course not its all brilliant strategy. They fired their CEO, despite his amazingly brilliant strategy. They also invested billions in hydrogen with virtually no results just to throw people so they don't know that Toyota has already perfected EVs. And they invested billions in their solid state batteries, that will be in mass production by 2022 (what year is it?).

There is literally 0 evidence that Toyota has 'figured out' EV. And there is a literal mountain of evidence suggesting the opposite.

abc_lisper• 3 years ago

Lol. They are still assuming people will drive. Talk about getting ready for the past

dividedcomet• 3 years ago

Not every road is paved and able to be handled by a computer. Some people also like to drive.

olyjohn• 3 years ago

Everybody who has a car is driving. Do people really still think level 5 is just around the corner?

dangus• 3 years ago

Level 5 isn’t right around the corner, but “navigating an entire GPS route on city streets for 30 minutes with fewer than 5 disengagements/interventions” is present day consumer technology.

As we speak right now there are robo-cabs driving themselves on the streets of San Francisco. Of course, they’re not perfect.

Maybe self-driving is further away than we initially thought and certainly further away than Elmo promised, but anyone who who runs a car company and thinks that humans will drive themselves in 10-20 years is being willfully ignorant.

acheron• 3 years ago

Automatic driving is just 3 years away!

rakoo• 3 years ago

As soon as linux is ready for desktop !

kridsdale32• 3 years ago

Even with perfect automated driving, I will get behind the wheel. Driving is a Zen experience that gives myself and many people joy.

We don't all live in the suburban highway hellscape. Try going for a mountain or coastal-cliff drive. I bet you'd smile.

zamalek• 3 years ago

Continuous variable transmission (automatic) is nearly always intentionally made to jerk at specific ratios to emulate manual transmission - even though there is no need for it to do that, and efficiency/reliability actually suffers slightly.

henriquez• 3 years ago

It’s anachronistic and kind of hilarious. I test drove a 2023 CRV Hybrid and it includes a “Sport” drive mode that pipes fake engine noise through the speakers and simulated shift lurches when you reach “redline” - definitely good for a laugh.

But it also has the potential to confuse people. I saw a Reddit post about the same car where the OP was concerned because the car sounded like it was redlining too much before it shifted, and people had to tell him that the car has no transmission and thus no shifting. It’s all in your head, man.

Modified3019• 3 years ago

Are you serious? Where can I learn about this bullshit?

Sohcahtoa82• 3 years ago

I'm really glad my wife's 2015 CRV doesn't do that shit.

While accelerating lightly, it just stays at a constant ~2,500 rpm. If I'm flooring it, it's at a constant ~5,000 rpm. Once I've reached my desired speed and let go, it tends to sit at about 1,500 rpm.

Taking a CVT and making it act like it has discrete gears absolutely destroys all the advantages a CVT offers. In theory, a CVT is the best transmission, as it can always precisely hold the engine speed at either max fuel efficiency for cruising, or max horsepower for accelerating fast, and everywhere in between.

pornel• 3 years ago

This is just emulating old flaws for nostalgia.

Toyota is in denial. They can’t imagine a future in which their expertise in ICE becomes obsolete and irrelevant.

kridsdale32• 3 years ago

There will always be ICE Enthusiasts just like there are presently Horse Enthusiasts.

Go listen to Red Barchetta - RUSH.

Klonoar2• 3 years ago

Toyota is not the only auto company that has explored this space.

culopatin• 3 years ago

It’s interesting that they are going for the feel when most of their cars have been gutless for 20 years. But looks like they woke up and added power to the Prius, the GR line is out and the Supra although not fully Toyota is out there too. Now they just need to add fun to the affordable ones.

mostertoaster• 3 years ago

Lol that is so silly, but if I was buying an EV and all else was equal I’d totally choose having a fake manual transmission with that “feature”.

Manual transmission cars are still way more fun to me, unless I had to drive through Seattle or SF or something.

Klonoar2• 3 years ago

I daily a manual in Seattle and it’s really not a big deal.

The rest of the people who currently drive in Seattle are a bigger nuisance.

panick21_2• 3 years ago

If you complain about the traffic, you are the traffic.

karmakaze• 3 years ago

So retro. So soon.

mountaineagle• 3 years ago

Clownworld.

ulfw• 3 years ago

Toyota is a lost company. Never seen any manufacturer be less interested in doing EVs and being so goddamn awful at at (considering it's immense size and budget and technical acumen). A fake manual transmission is utterly ludicrous.

Why don't they put fake spark plugs in that need regular change?

Toyota Patented an EV Manual Transmission That Stalls, so It Feels Real

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