The Madlads over at Lexus have built an EV with a stick shift manual transmission, which is a mixed bag.

Either way, this is a massive step forward in keeping the manual transmission alive, since as of late the overall automobile market has shifted away from the sportscar/race car market and shifted more to the big fuel-efficient SUV side of things.

 This is a mixed bag because upon further inspection it is essentially just a limiter switch that controls the entire motor system in tandem with the clutch, which works to get the feel of a manual transmission however there are no other benefits to this concept, No difference in energy efficiency, No difference in Performance. 

In short, it is purely for the drive experience and emotional response of using a manual transmission in an electric car, while not giving any performance benefits, it does however make the overall driving experience feel more nostalgic and make the transition from gas combustion engine to EV that bit smoother.