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Porsche is set to add another layer for driver engagement to its electric vehicles, with the 2027 Taycan likely to adopt a faux gear change to make it feel more like the brand’s traditional sports cars.
Electric Cars
In a move that would have been entirely unheard of only a few years ago, Porsche is apparently benchmarking Hyundai and is set to introduce a Hyundai-first feature to its Taycan EV.
When Hyundai launched the high-performance Ioniq 5 N in 2023, it added a function called N e-shift, a simulated gear shift mode that added a pause then surge in power delivery, mimicking the feel of a dual-clutch transmission shifting gears.
According to US publication, The Drive, Porsche was so impressed with Hyundai’s software manipulation that the 2027 Porsche Taycan is set to adopt a similar feature.
The electric Taycan already features a two-speed transmission for the rear motor, but unlike a traditional gearbox, it cannot be manipulated by the driver, and serves to provide a sharper low-speed response and extended driving range at high speeds.
According to an insider at Porsche, a Model Year 2027 update to the Taycan range will see a ‘virtual transmission’ added to the equipment list, but rather than a full-scale mechanical change, the system is likely to be a software-driven system.
Hyundai’s N e-shift system can be switched on or off by the driver, and Porsche is likely to do something similar.
In the case of the Ioniq 5 N, acceleration times are slightly reduced when using the system, with the interruptions to power delivery resulting in a delay of outright acceleration.
Still, the system mimics a traditional transmission with a virtual rev limiter, simulated tachometer, and powertrain torque jolts linked with engine noises that imitate a dual-clutch transmission shifting up or down gears and the rise and fall of engine revs.
Honda is set to introduce something similar on its Prelude hybrid coupe, called S+ Shift, with the compact Honda Super-One EV also set to receive the S+ Shift system.
While the new Porsche mode is expected to be largely driven via a software change, the source of the information said that older Taycan models won’t be eligible for an update that enables the system, due to the lack of shift paddles on the steering wheel.
The new system would mark a change in attitude from Porsche, which has previously shunned the idea of simulated gearshifts.
In a 2024 interview with Drive, Porsche development driver Lars Kern said, “Obviously, we look into what the competition does, but our perspective on this is always why should we make something worse?”
“The electric engine is better than an ICE [internal combustion engine], so we figured there's no reason to simulate what has been in the past.
“We looked at it, but … I don't see the point of using it to make it feel like a combustion engine because it's not, so we don't.
“We don't want to fake the combustion engine because we still produce combustion engines, so we don't see the point of doing it.”
Development of the system is believed to have involved engineers from Porsche’s dual-clutch transmission team, ensuring an authentic feel and similar operation parameters.
Since launching the Taycan, Porsche has introduced electric versions of the Macan and Cayenne, both without any kind of transmission-emulating technology.
Like the Taycan, both cars would require the addition of wheel-mounted paddles to be able to utilise such a system, but this relatively simple production change could be rolled out as model year updates, as is expected for the 2027 Taycan, due late next year.
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Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
