Electric cars have motors mounted directly on the axle, or in some cases the axle. This means power is driven directly to the wheels, ergo, no device is needed to transmit power from the motor and then to the road. This is why Teslas only have a “1-speed” transmission while Audi and Porsche EVs have “2-speed” for better response at higher speeds.
While this lossless breakthrough has rendered all transmission types virtually useless in the EV realm, it marks the catastrophe of the manual gearbox enthusiasts love. Honda, however, has no interest in making fake manual shifters for EVs – a stark contrast to Toyota’s patent application for clutch-operated MTs for electric vehicles.
In an interview with Car and Driver, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe and head of electrification Shinji Aoyama have both confirmed that fake manual transmissions will most likely not be available for future Honda EVs. And that includes two of Honda’s electric sports cars that were confirmed in the company’s new EV plans announced earlier this year.
The manual transmission – especially the control, interaction and precise timing between the three pedals and stick shift – makes driving exciting. Honda says they will find other ways to make EV driving fun, but manual transmission may not be the way to go.
That said, the new Honda with stick shifts may not be around for long, but it will be a while before we see the Honda Civic and Acura Integra (both of which still have MT options) taken off the market. line up.
As for Honda’s upcoming electric sports car, we didn’t expect to see it with three pedals. We’ll see what Honda will have in store, but for now, we can rest assured that the company isn’t going to make a car that produces a fake rev-match sound with a fake shifter stick and fake clutch pedal that rivals the ones you can buy from Fisher. -Price.
