Sling is realistic about how the era of electric cars It probably means the end of the manual transmission as we know it. Thus, during a roundtable interview with the CEO of Honda, Toshihiro Mibeand the director of electrification, Shinji Aoyamaboth executives expressed doubts to C/D that the company would seek some kind of simulated manual transmission or artificial for your next electrical.
“We can do it artificially. Mechanically, it’s not easy,” Aoyama said, referring to the idea of a simulated manual as “an extension of active sound control.” Personally, he does not like the idea of an artificial solution and stated that Sling he would look for other ways to make his electrics fun to drive.
Honda on manual transmission for the electric age
Both executives mentioned that they see battery technology, as well as the packaging, programming, general engineering of electric motors and direct drive units, as important differentiating factors for electric cars and how they feel on the road.
Mibe stated that it is important that electric cars of Sling be “cutting edge” and different from the competition in terms of driving experience, but also added: “Not sure if we can replace the manual transmission«.
This position contrasts with the perspective of Toyotasince the main rival of Sling is apparently embracing the idea of a manual transmission alternative. Recently, the Japanese manufacturer patented a system for electric vehicles that includes a clutch, a gear lever and “virtual” gear ratios, and the president of lexusKoji Sato also expressed his wish that the brand’s next electric supercar would have some kind of mock manual.
Even before this, the 2017 Toyota GR HV Sports Concept also incorporated a kind of mock manual: its hybrid powertrain employed a automatic gearboxbut featured a shifter intended to mimic the H-pattern of a manual transmission six speed.
Honda’s electric future
But even if Sling isn’t planning to adopt similar solutions, clutch pedal fanatics needn’t panic that the brand’s transition to an EV lineup will do away with stick shifts overnight. The company plans to become a all-electric brand by 2024, but in stages, introducing electric cars, including those with hydrogen fuel cells, step by step. Its objective is that the electric cars represent 40% of sales by 2030, 80% by 2035 and 100% by 2040.
Meanwhile, some vehicles manual transmission different remain in the alignments of Sling Y Acura in USA. Multiple versions of Civic more him Acura Integra provide manual transmissions six-speed, and they don’t look like they’re going away any time soon.
As the electrics take control of Slingthe company claims that there will still be cars that appeal to enthusiasts. The Japanese company has promised two electric sports cars, one described as a “flagship” and the other as a “special” model. We will have to wait to see how Sling can conquer the market with this new generation of high-performance cars, even if they won’t have manual transmissions or some approximation to it, at least for the moment.
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Font: caranddriver
