I drove new EV with feature supposed to put ‘fun back into driving’… but it’s pointless & no one will use it
A MOTORING whizz drove a new EV with a feature supposed to put “fun back into driving” – but says it’s pointless and no one will use it.
Joel Stocksdale tried out the prototype Lexus UX 300e at the car maker’s test centre near the Japanese city of Nagoya.
He was excited to try the EV after Lexus’s owner Toyota announced that it had a baffling feature – “manual transmission”.
After getting behind the wheel, Joel discovered that the motor had a shifter and a clutch pedal – neither of which actually connected to the rest of the car.
Instead, shifting the clutch makes the EV’s cutting-edge software simulate a manual gear change.
Writing in Autoblog, Joel said: “It’s amazing that basically every powertrain sensation of a manual transmission is simulated, just with clever power and throttle settings for the electric motor.”
He added that Lexus has added fake engine sounds for “revs” of the gearbox – making it feel like a real manual setup.
But the expert was not convinced that the new feature was anything more than a fun gimmick.
Joel said: “For all the gushing I’ve done about the tricks pulled by these magicians at Toyota, I’m still not sure what practical or salable purpose this all has outside of its pure entertainment value.
“Would the owners really use it often? Shouldn’t we be discovering the unique characteristics that make EVs fun and embracing that, rather than trying to force it to be something it’s not?”
It comes after Tesla slashed the price of popular EV models in a bid to boost sales.
Elon Musk’s electric car brand missed its most recent market targets last week.
Elsewhere, a man says he looks down on petrol drivers as using an EV makes him feel superior in every way.
The motorist, who owns a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pick-up truck, listed three reasons why you should also buy an EV.