A manual with no mechanics: Hyundai's new shifter pretends to be a stick

© uspto.gov

Hyundai may take the simulated-shift idea introduced on the Ioniq 5 N a step further. The company has filed a USPTO patent for an electronic shifter that can work not only as a conventional automatic selector, but also as an imitation of a manual gearbox.

The core of the design is that the lever has no direct mechanical link to the transmission. Every command travels by wire, yet the mechanism itself can change its behaviour. In its default mode it acts as an automatic selector with Drive and Reverse positions. In sport or manual mode, the driver can use it as a sequential lever: forward to shift up, back to shift down.

The most interesting part is the full «manual» simulation mode. The patent describes an H-pattern with seven positions: six gears and reverse. A clutch pedal is also mentioned. Pressing it and engaging manual mode opens all the «gates», with neutral selected when the lever sits between positions. The driver gets the familiar manual-shift routine, even though there is no physical link to the gearbox.

Crucially, the patent is not limited to electric cars. The document does not state that the system is intended exclusively for EVs or combustion vehicles. In theory it could be used in an EV with simulated gears, in a hybrid, or in a car with a conventional transmission where the electronics handle the shifts.

For Hyundai it is a logical continuation of its experiments with emotion. The Ioniq 5 N has already shown that an electric car can imitate the behaviour of a gearbox and engine to make the driver feel more engaged. The new patent goes further: it adds not only virtual gears but the familiar physical ritual — a lever and a clutch. For now, though, this is not a promise of a production model, but a protection of an idea.