Porsche Says No To Gimmicks: The German Automaker Isn't Interested In A Simulated Manual For Its EVs

Porsche is going a different route to ensure its EVs are engaging enough

In a way, Porsche’s reasoning behind not developing a "manual transmission” for EVs is similar to the reason why one-pedal driving will not become a feature in Porsche’s all-electric models. Out of the box, EVs offer a much more synthetic driving experience that is, often, over-assisted thus dethatching the driver from the process of driving the vehicle. Porsche sports cars are considered, by many to be the ultimate high-performance cars and much of this D.N.A. eventually makes its way down into the more mainstream lineup. Think of models like the Panamera, Cayenne, and Macan SUVs.

When talking about the Porsche Taycan, Dr. Ingo Albers, Head of Drive System at Porsche, explained

You apply the brakes to slow down, which is a learned behavior and it’s authentic. The driver receives consistent, predictable feedback.

It is a more natural and familiar feeling instead of relying on the car’s regenerative braking to do the job for you. It also keeps a level of driver involvement other carmakers are looking to get rid of. Many drivers, myself included, are still getting used to the fact you have to entrust braking to the car’s systems, instead of your foot.

A manual transmission would hinder the EV drivetrain

While few things can compare with rowing through the gears yourself, the sad truth is that manual transmissions don’t make sense in electric vehicles. More recently, Porsche Works Driver Lars Kerns when speaking to Drive.au, confirmed Porsche’s stance on simulated gear shifts and how they won’t be coming to future EVs from the German brand. It is worth noting that hybrid powertrains can work with manual transmissions as seen from BB Auto’s Porsche 911 Targa Hybrid, which was one of the Porsche highlights at the 2024 Monterey Car Week.

If we see a similar setup working with Porsche’s T-Hybrid powertrain that would be awesome. That said, the 992.2 update hasn’t given us a manual transmission 911 yet. We know Porsche is working on a few variants of the 992.2 GT3, so there is still hope a manual Porsche 911 could pop up at some point. Moreover, the Porsche 992.2 Carrera S is nowhere to be seen, which means it would likely arrive with the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo S, and likely feature a manual, similar to the 992.1.

The biggest advantage of electric motors is the instant torque, which is enough to sustain continuous acceleration without needing different gear ratios (with very few exceptions). Essentially, what you get in a fully electric vehicle is uninterrupted acceleration, which even the most modern, dual-clutch automatic transmissions struggle to match.

Toyota and Hyundai’s fake manual transmission works by forcefully reducing torque from the electric motors, simulating the drop in power in an internal combustion vehicle, whenever you upshift. In short, this meant that Hyundai and Toyota EV models, equipped with this simulated manual, are purposefully made slower for the sake of being more fun. For a while, it looked like these two mainstream manufacturers could have had the answer to more driver-centric EVs, but Porsche’s approach to making its fully electric models more engaging won’t involve giving away one of the biggest advantages of electric powertrains.