Porsche rejects ‘fake’ gear shifters for future EVs

For driving enthusiasts all around the world, nothing beats the pleasure and exhilaration of shifting between gears on an ICE car with a manual transmission. However, with the introduction and widespread use of automatic transmissions, this mechanical requirement of the past has been relegated to a luxury reserved for aficionados. Electric vehicles (EVs) take this a step further, eliminating the need for a gearbox entirely due to the rapid power delivery of electric motors.

Having said that, Hyundai’s newly released Ioniq 5 N sports hatch chose to equip the car with a ‘fake’ gear changer because it believed that the feeling of changing gears was a crucial part of the driving experience. In essence, the “simulated” gears regulate torque and power, providing the driver with the impression that there are genuine gears; nonetheless, the Ioniq 5 N is actually somewhat slower when the false shifting is used.

Speaking with Drive magazine, Porsche’s development driver Lars Kern stated that Porsche had also considered the idea of having fake shifters in their electric offerings, but ultimately abandoned the idea, deeming it ‘counter-intuitive’. In a conversation with Drive, Lars mentioned:

“We looked at it, but … I don’t see the point of using it to make it feel like a combustion engine because it’s not, so we don’t.

“We drove the Hyundai N and had a look at it” Lars continued, “and, obviously, there’s always people who think that’s a good idea and there’s always people I think it’s a bad idea,”

Clearly, Porsche seems to believe that electric cars’ instant torque and linear power delivery is something that is to be celebrated in its own right, and not to be retrofitted to mimic the characteristics of ICE vehicles. Lars took a step further and stated that he believed simulated gear shifters in EVs would make the experience worse by detracting from the authentic electric experience, which can be argued in favour of considering that EVs have their own unique advantages and offer driving experiences that many adore, and likely even prefer over slamming gears in ICEs.

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