Ford has just patented a gear lever that simulates the manual transmission in electric cars. All for a more realistic result, even if the solution is not really based on a manual transmission.
Electric cars are sounding the death knell for the manual transmission. This type of vehicle minimizes the use of transmission mechanisms – with motors instead that directly drive the wheels. In itself, this isn't really a problem, since it eliminates steps to increase acceleration. Except that many drivers learn to drive with manual gearboxes. Which, incidentally, deliver more sensations, with a feeling of more precise control of engine torque.
It is to please this type of driver that Ford has just filed a patent. This describes a manual gearbox for electric cars. As you will have probably understood, the device is not connected mechanically to a transmission shaft, which is non-existent here. Instead, this box, in which a classic-looking lever is inserted, is an electronic controller that changes the electrical parameters of the electric car's motor(s).
Would you like a manual transmission in your next electric car?
What better way to reproduce the sensations that come from changing gears. Without, of course, the roar of the pistons that goes with it. The patent explains that this box“manages the flow of electrical energy delivered by the battery pack, to control the speed of the motors and the torque each motor produces.
The American brand is not alone in this niche. Hyundai, for example, offers a simulated manual gearbox on the Ioniq 5 N. As does Toyota on the all-new Lexus RZ. Ford's technology makes the difference elsewhere: haptic feedback. Electronic motors vibrate in the housing to better simulate the resistance and mechanical grain when changing gears.
For the moment, there is no indication that Ford will take advantage of this patent, which has just been published after an initial filing in 2023. As young drivers learn to When driving automatic transmissions or electric vehicles, the need to replicate the feel of a gear lever should be less noticeable.
There is at least one positive aspect to this kind of gimmick: it is easy to go back and replace the box with a more standard electric car gear lever.
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