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Automakers can’t quit manual transmissions so they’re cramming fake stuff into EVs
(www.theverge.com)
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Ignore the fake stick shift, what the hell happened to Toyota? They used to make reliable, economic, no-bullshit cars. They invented (or popularized) the hybrid.
So Toyota missed the EV trend. We'd all be crazy rich now if we had predicted the rise of Tesla, so I guess this one can be forgiven.
I'm not a car-enthusiast. What I want from a car is less controls and distraction. A stick shift is more work for the driver, but logical. It exists for a reason. You can argue that automatic is a better solution for the problem, but when you learned to drive a manual, it works.
Also, 99% of the time, the stick works the same one any model from any manufacturer. It is expected.
I don't get why people would want such gimmicks. The Toyota fake stick may be extreme and doesn't fit the brand image at all; but many carmakers tend to treat EVs as toys; not real cars...
After 2035, the EU wont aprove new cars with combustion engines. But what about the people that want to drive a stick shift? I actually thought about fake stickshifts in the past. Amazed to see that car manufacturers are actually doing that...
It's not impossible to have gears and stick shift in an EV. Not required, but possible. Some (niche) companies are retrofitting ICE cars with EV motors. The stick shift continues to work and you can drive any gear in a much wider RPM range.
When I got an EV I admit I was put off by the dial replacing the stick. I shopped around trying to avoid it in fact. I did get used to it, but it was off-putting at first. because I'm so used to resting my hand on the gear shift. Tactile things are part of the UX for cars.