Over the years, Ford Motor Co F has filed plenty of patents. A patent filed several years ago and recently published will likely be a big talking point for the electric vehicle sector.
What Happened: Ford isn’t new to filing patents for its electric vehicles and technology with the company previously filing a patent for technology that could charge a vehicle while driving.
While that sounds useful and convenient for EV owners, the latest published patent is more decorative than useful.
Ford patented a manual gear shifter in electric vehicles, according to a report from InsideEVs.
Electric vehicles operate with a different system than traditional internal combustion-powered vehicles, which makes a manual stick shift a novelty item.
Titled, Shifter Assembly for Electric Vehicle, the patent shows a picture of a manual shift lever mounted on a raised section of the floor.
The patent says the shifter “manages the flow of electrical energy delivered by the battery pack, controlling the speed of the motors and the torque each motor produces.”
According to the report this means the shift would imitate a standard transmission and could actually make the EV slower as the output is interrupted.
Why It’s Important: While the patent filing doesn’t mean Ford will put this novelty item inside new electric vehicles anytime soon, the filing will likely raise questions.
It would seem there is a small audience who would find a manual shift nostalgic, even if it isn’t practical in an electric vehicle.
According to the report, Ford isn’t the first to try an idea like this with a manual shift inside an electric vehicle. Hyundai and Toyota also tried similar methods.
Ford had two of the top-selling electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2024, with the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning ranking third and sixth, respectively.
Ford had a market share of 7.5% for electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2024, trailing only market leader Tesla (48.7%).
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Photo: Supergenijalac via Shutterstock. (Image is of generic stick shift, not a Ford.)
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