Porsche puts gear, jerk and engine sound in the electric Taycan; And nothing’s real

Porsche has created a gearbox that does not exist. The German automaker detailed the operation of E-Shift, an option on the Taycan that uses software to simulate an eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission in the electric sports car, with gear changes, jerks and engine sound. None of this makes the car faster, and the goal is precisely different.

The immediate response of an electric powertrain is one of its greatest virtues: torque arrives without delay and acceleration happens practically without interruption. In Porsche’s assessment, however, this creates a side effect, because the references that have always defined the experience of driving a sports car, such as the uphill turn and gear changes, no longer exist.

“E-Shift brings more emotion and more feedback into the car,” sums up Markus Lindermeier, who is responsible for the function at Porsche.

Seven gears written in code

The technology is entirely software-based. In practice, the engineers wrote seven additional changes in the code, recreating the behavior of a real PDK within the electronic centers, with details such as the reductions during braking and different exchange strategies.

“We wanted to preserve an authentic driving experience without inheriting the drawbacks of a traditional transmission,” says Lindermeier. “Gear changes, for example, can be performed faster than in a combustion car.”

There is a curious detail in engineering. The Taycan already has a real two-speed gearbox on the rear axle, and Porsche has purposely synchronized the transition from second to third virtual gear with the mechanical shift that actually takes place. Virtual and physical, therefore, overlap.

The performance remains the same. With each simulated change, the system briefly reduces torque and then restores it, which preserves the acceleration numbers and still delivers the expected jolt to the driver. The rev counter, positioned in the center of the dashboard, rises to 7,500 rpm.

Sound and steering wheel controls

The acoustic work came from the Porsche Electric Sport Sound, already used in the model. On this basis, the brand has developed a sound that reacts to the virtual turn, load and speed of the car, as well as a new sound signature for the start. Everything is reproduced by the internal and external speakers that the Taycan already had, with an emphasis on the rear.

The activation is done by a button on the GT sports steering wheel, from where the driver chooses between manual and automatic modes. The butterflies behind the wheel perform the virtual exchanges. With E-Shift off, the same rods readjust energy regeneration in two stages, and pulling both at the same time triggers Push-to-Pass, which releases extra power for a few moments.