The emergence of electric cars has caused an unexpected turn in the automotive industry: manufacturers have begun to transfer to real cars elements that drivers are familiar with primarily from virtual games. We are talking about artificial gearboxes, which are designed to make electric cars more lively and bring the feeling of driving them closer to sports cars with internal combustion engines, writes Autocar.
One of the first to use this approach was Hyundai in the Ioniq 5 N, which received the N e-Shift system. The company actually admitted that it is difficult for an electric motor to compete with a powerful engine and a manual transmission in terms of emotional impact. Porsche uses a similar trick in the Taycan E-Shift system, and BMW intends to use this technology in its electric M3 (expected in 2027).
The reason for the popularity of manual transmissions becomes more understandable if we recall the history of automobile gearboxes. In the era of internal combustion engines, drivers had to choose between manual and traditional automatic transmissions with torque converters, which, due to slow and not always clear shifts, were nicknamed “slush boxes” - literally “a box of liquid porridge”.
A manual transmission was not just a technical device, but part of the character of the car. The accuracy of the gear lever, the effort, the speed and smoothness of the shift, the length of the stroke were important. For many drivers, it was these sensations that determined the quality of interaction with the car.
Then, in the late 1980s, Ferrari was the first to introduce a semi-automatic transmission to Formula 1, and the technology quickly became desirable for road cars. In 1996, BMW introduced the SMG, a sequential mechanized transmission, on the E36-generation M3, and a year later Ferrari fitted the F1 system to the F355. Alfa Romeo soon offered a similar transmission, the Selespeed.
Such transmissions were automated manual transmissions with a single clutch. During gear changes, the flow of torque was interrupted, and the transmission speed was limited by the need to synchronize the gears. In racing sequential transmissions, it was possible to do without synchronizers, which allowed for millisecond shifts, but at the expense of noise and rapid wear.
The next stage was the preselective gearboxes with two clutches. The Hot Shift concept was developed back in 1980 by the British Automotive Products, and Porsche began using PDK in motorsport in the mid-1980s. Later, similar transmissions received DSG, PDK and other names.
Their principle of operation is relatively simple: while the car is moving in one gear, the next one is already engaged. During the shift, one clutch opens and the second closes, so the transmission of torque is practically uninterrupted.
It seemed that this was exactly how an improved means of accelerating the car was found. But the real technological breakthrough was brought by the electric motor: the electric motor is able to transmit torque practically continuously, without the need to change gears at all.
And here a paradox arises. What automotive technology has been trying to get rid of for decades is now returning to electric cars, already in digital form. Artificial gears are not necessary for the electric motor from a technical point of view. They are necessary for the driver.
Perhaps the brief drops in engine speed, the sound of the engine and the feeling of shifting gears give the brain what is missing from the rapid but practically uninterrupted acceleration of an electric car. It turns out that the car of the future may consciously imitate the shortcomings of past technology simply because driving without them may seem less interesting.
