Both companies have filed patents for technology designed to recreate the experience of manual driving, even though EVs don’t actually require gear changes. The manual transmission has long been in decline, made nearly obsolete by the rise of automatic gearboxes and, more recently, electric powertrains. By simulating the manual experience, Toyota and Subaru are betting that some EV buyers still crave the tactile feedback and mechanical feel of shifting gears. Broad Potential Beyond Performance CarsToyota has already installed this system in a luxury crossover, a segment that traditionally doesn’t include manual gearboxes. With this system, the same vehicle can switch instantly between full manual simulation and automatic ease, depending on who’s behind the wheel.