Ford's latest patent introduces a manual transmission for electric vehicles, but with a unique twist.

Electric cars are known for their brisk acceleration and seamless runs. But imagine you are shifting gears in an EV, sounds unreal!! But soon it's gonna be reality as Ford has registered a new patent, which has displayed a new retro-style manual transmission, which is specifically designed for EVs. 

This patent was done way back in 2023 and was released in March this year. This technology involves a newly designed gear lever, which is not for gear shifting, but instead for just giving a feel to the user by mimicking just like a regular manual transmission. 

Unlike regular manual transmissions, where cogs engage mechanically, this lever works with actuators and an electric controller that adjusts motor speed and torque delivery. 

Understanding The New Ford System

Situated on an elevated section of the floor, the mock shifter is connected to an electronic system that gives a feeling of an actual gearbox. The moment you shift the lever, it gives a signal to the EVs powertrain to mimic its shifting, with the same delay in power delivery, just as we feel in a manual transmission. 

There is no talk about performance here, but establishing a connection between the driver and car. To add more reality to this, Ford’s design has also added force feedback. Small motors are tuned in a way to produce vibrations and resistance to give a realistic experience of driving a manual car. 

The system is also calibrated in a way to follow classic H-pattern or operate sequentially, depending on the drive mode you choose. This is because electric vehicles don’t have traditional gearboxes, apart from this, Ford’s shifter can also retract during idling. 

More Car Manufacturers Adopting the Trend

Many car manufacturers like Hyundai and Toyota are also investing in this technology and trying to attract customers to buy EVs by making them experience the thrill of manual transmission in EVs.

For example, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N uses paddle shifters that give a feeling of gear changes and Lexus is also testing EVs with stimulated clutches and even stall-outs. However, this is only a patent and won’t make the EV faster by any means but can make the EV driving exciting.