Honda, one of the few automakers still committed to stick shifts, is being realistic as the electric era unfolds and pushes the manual transmission toward obsolescence.
In an interview with Car and Driver, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe and Shinji Aoyama, global head of the company’s electrification efforts, downplayed hopes that Honda would adopt some type of artificial manual transmission for electric vehicles. Honda’s EV plans include two sports cars — what the automaker describes as a flagship and a “specialty” model.
“Artificially, we can do it. Mechanically, it is not easy,” Aoyama told the magazine, referring to a simulated manual as “like an extension of active sound control.”
Aoyama said Honda will pursue other ways to make EVs fun to drive. The company sees battery technology and the packaging, programming and engineering of electric motors and direct-drive systems as a key differentiator. Mibe wants Honda EVs to be “edgy” with driving dynamics distinct from rivals, he said, adding, “I’m not sure if we can replace the manual transmission.”
Toyota and Dodge are exploring manual transmission alternatives. Toyota has patented a system for EVs with a clutch, gear shifter and “virtual” gear ratios, and Lexus President Koji Sato wants to adopt a simulated manual gearbox for a planned electric supercar.
Dodge’s Charger Daytona SRT Concept features a multispeed transmission called eRupt. Dodge says it uses “electro-mechanical shifting” via a pistol-grip shifter in the console area. But it’s unclear whether the driver shifts gears or shifting is simulated electronically.