In May and June, Ferrari has registered two rather conspicuous patents: a virtual clutch pedal and a simulated manual gearbox, both designed to work in EVs and multi-clutch automatic vehicles.
That’s something we’d typically expect from the likes of Kia or Hyundai, but we suppose Ferrari also needs to convince its stick-shift purists to move with the times. The system is described as incredibly realistic, simulating the experience of using a regular open-gate shifter with an H-pattern. The main difference is that the car never directly responds to the inputs, instead passing them through to the transmission control unit for processing.
The patent description mentions an immersive experience, simulated shifter and pedal resistance, and lifelike reactions of the car to every input. Aside from pure EVs, the feature may be made available for automatic ICE cars further down the line.
Ferrari hasn’t commented on the news yet. As always with patents, their existence doesn’t guarantee their implementation in any future products of the company. If anything, it looks like a case of bet hedging on the automaker’s part.