FORD is looking to bring back an old car feature that drivers insist made cruising roads much more fun.
But the auto giant isn’t alone in the venture as several brands are looking to put the once-popular feature back into new cars.
A patent by Ford revealed it is developing a simulated manual shifter for use in its electric cars.
Titled “Shifter Assembly for Electric Vehicle,” the patent included diagrams showing a six-speed, H-pattern shifter path.
The brand noted that EV drivers are deprived of the once-common experience of shifting gears in manual transmission cars.
It wrote electric vehicles “lack operator to vehicle physical feedback that is advantageous in conventional motor vehicles.”
Ford’s solution is to have a fake shifter in EVs that mimics a manual transmission using haptics.
The patent was filed in the US back in 2023 but was only just published in March 2025.
Ford is the latest to jump on the growing trend of adding fake sticks to electric cars to enhance the driving experience.
Nicknamed the “manual EV experiment,” Toyota, BMW, and Hyundai are also tinkering with shifters in their cars.
Toyota started working on its own version for EVs as far back as 2022.
And, Hyundai replicated a dual-clutch transmission in the Ioniq 5N car.
While some drivers enjoy the thought of manually shifting gears again, some people have called the move unnecessary and even compared it to a child’s toy car.
Auto news website Jalopnik went so far as to label it the worst trend in modern EVs.
“If they can make the car lurch a little fore and aft when ‘shifting’, and allow me to choose any sound from a file of everything from classic cars to the Millennium Falcon, then it might be fun,” one person wrote in response to Jalopnik’s story.
“Not fun if they charge too much for it.”
Another wrote, “If this makes driving an EV more fun, there will be enough schmucks like me that will want it and pay (a reasonable price) for it.”
And a third person compared the concept to Hyundai’s venture.
“Eh, the Ioniq5N “gear shifts” are what make it such a fun EV,” they wrote.
“I’ll reserve judgment until I see it. Also, I thought Toyota was doing something identical with a physical shifter?”
Editors at The Drive seemed to enjoy the idea, writing, “We dinosaurs will be able to regale the youth on how we used to do this the old-fashioned way.”
They pointed out how manual shifting came with not-so-gentle reminders if you made a mistake.
And other car enthusiasts insisted the fake shifter would only be a good fit for sporty EVs.
It should be noted that just because a patent was filed that doesn’t mean it will definitely end up in an EV.
Electric vehicles vs gas
Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles
EV PROS:
Convenient (when charging at home) Cheaper (depending on state or city) Cheaper maintenance, due to lack of mechanical parts Great for commuting Reduced CO2 emissions Federal and state tax incentives More performance (speed, handling – depending on the make and model)EV CONS:
Higher initial cost Higher insurance rates More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals Higher curb weight (thus causing more rapid wear on crucial parts) Low resale value High depreciation rates Lack of charging infrastructure Unreliable public charging (related: slow charging times) Poor winter and summer performance Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources Range anxietyGAS PROS:
Highly developed refueling infrastructure Fast refueling Cheaper insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration Established repair industry Lower initial cost Higher range before refueling, especially with hybrids Many manufacturers produce nearly emission-less engines Cheaper refueling, depending on the locationGAS CONS:
Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on petroleum) Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases Higher repair costs Higher insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration Varying costs at the pump, depending on state, city, and countySource: Car & Driver, Perch Energy, AutoWeek
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