Fake Gears in EVs: Gimmick or the Future of Fun Driving?

Electric vehicles are brilliant at many things. Instant torque off the lights on Stirling Highway, silent cruising through the Perth Hills, cheap running costs when WA petrol prices are biting. What they've struggled with is soul. That intangible, mechanical connection that makes driving feel like something more than passenger transport.

Hyundai reckons it has the answer — and the rest of the industry is starting to agree.

What Hyundai Actually Built

When the Ioniq 5 N launched in 2023, it came with a feature that divided opinion hard: a simulated eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. We're talking artificial gear shifts, fake engine sounds, a rev limiter that bounces off a virtual redline, and a physical shunt through the car when you change gears. The whole theatre of a performance ICE car, delivered through software in an EV.

Hyundai N boss Joon Woo Park has been direct about the intent. The goal was to build the most driver-focused electric vehicle on the market — full stop. Not the quickest on paper, not the most efficient, but the one that actually makes you feel something behind the wheel.

"It's all based on love of cars because we love cars, we love motorsport, we love drifting, and we love track driving," Park said.

The system carries across to the Ioniq 6 N as well, giving both models that same manufactured but genuinely engaging character.

The Rest of the Industry Is Taking Notice

Here's where it gets interesting for anyone shopping the next wave of performance EVs. Porsche, BMW, Honda, and Lexus are all developing their own versions of simulated gear shift technology. The BMW M3 Electric, the upcoming Honda Super-One, and Porsche's forthcoming electric performance models are all expected to offer some form of artificial transmission experience.

When asked how he felt about competitors adopting what Hyundai pioneered, Park kept it simple: "We feel very proud."

That's a confident call, and honestly, a fair one. Hyundai N took the risk of releasing this feature when plenty of enthusiasts were ready to hate it. The fact that Porsche — a brand that built its reputation on driver engagement above almost everything else — is now going down the same path says a lot.

What This Means If You're Buying an EV in WA

For WA drivers, this debate is more relevant than it might seem. If you're doing long runs up to Geraldton or across to Kalgoorlie, the driving experience over hours of highway matters. Engagement keeps you alert. And if you're the kind of buyer who's held off on EVs specifically because they feel disconnected and clinical, this technology is a direct response to that concern.

The Ioniq 5 N is already available in Australia. It's not a cheap car, but for buyers who want genuine performance with EV running costs — and WA's fuel prices make that calculation increasingly attractive — it's one of the few EVs that genuinely rewards the driver rather than just moving them around.

The broader shift happening across Porsche, BMW, and Honda means that within the next few model cycles, simulated gear shift tech will stop being a novelty and start being a standard feature on performance EVs. Buyers who dismissed it as a gimmick in 2023 may find themselves ticking that option box by 2027.

Hyundai bet early that driver engagement was worth engineering for in an electric car. The rest of the market just confirmed the bet was right.