LUXURY car brand Porsche is considering introducing new features for its EVs – including controversial “fake gear shifts”.
The feature – already installed in some other brands – mimics the sound of a manual car changing gear.
It is part of a wide range of features being considered by Porsche on a prototype model.
Other features include paddle shifters and an artificial engine noise.
If Porsche is to motor ahead and introduce the fake gear shift it is likely to prove controversial.
Sasche Niesen, Porsche’s prototype fleet manager, was the brains behind the prototype – and even he wasn’t sure at first.
“I wanted to hate it because it’s artificial and it’s fake and everything,” he told The Drive, which reported that Sasche ended up “liking” the concept.
Looking to replicate the sound – and feel – of changing gear is nothing new in the car industry.
Electric shock
Earlier this year, it was reported that Ford applied for a patent that aims to bring back a traditional element of driving
On March 20, the company’s application – entitled Shifter Assembly For Electric Vehicle – was published under number 2025/0092947 with the US Patent Office.
The accompanying image depicts a conventional gear stick installed in a box.
Other automakers have taken to it too, with Hyundai also pioneering the feature.
Its Ioniq 5 N is one of the best-known EVs on the market to have the feature installed, while Ferrari are also reportedly developing fake gear shifts.
The rise of EVs is continuing to grow at a rapid rate with more than 220million electric vehicles to be on roads in just seven years time.
By 2030, the number of electric cars will have jumped by almost tenfold as China continue to drive production of the green machines.
But what sometimes holds customers back is the lack of sould an personality in EVs – hence the head-scratching around fake gear shifts.
But the prize for companies who can convince drivers to lake the switch is huge.
Staggering increase
According to research by the International Energy Agency (IEA), there will be roughly 220million electric passenger vehicles on the road by 2030 – a staggering 26million increase from 2022.
The change has been described as an “unstoppable” shift to net zero.
The report states that the huge surge in EVs will result in peak demand for fossil fuels – such as oil, natural gas and coal within the next seven years.
Research from the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook suggested that electric vehicles had increased “rapidly in recent years” with sales surpassing 10 million last year.
Dirt cheap? Not quite …
Ford’s CEO is trying to make waves in the auto industry with a new off-roading super car.
But the price range may make buyers grimace.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has been thinking about the company‘s next move, which could be a super vehicle for any terrain.
He recently discussed the idea while speaking on Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit podcast.
“No one’s ever built a supercar for gravel, high-speed sand, dirt,” he said on the show.
“I’m thinking really deeply about it, and usually that turns into something.”
