A day after CarBuzz found Toyota's patent for an EV that can stall, this is the latest attempt from an automaker to make a modern gas or electric car feel like an old-school manual. Call it the gated shifter of the future, but this isn't one designed to shift gears. And we don't mean that because there are no gears to shift.CarBuzz found Ferrari's latest patent for a version of its iconic gated shifter, but it won't do the thing that you're expecting it to do. And you're not going to like it. Looks Like A Shifter, Works Like A Switch Ferrari The new patent is called "Command Device for a Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Comprising the Same." It looks like Ferrari has created a version of its classic gated manual transmission shifter that can work like a joystick to control virtual gears in an EV or maybe even swap cogs in a more conventional automatic. That unto itself is a little sketchy in the eyes of purists, but it's so much worse than you know.It looks like a virtual gear selector, which isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Hyundai has a patent for one of those, and it's a much more involved mechanism. Ferrari's is a black box. We can't see inside, because the patent isn't about the mechanism but what it does. The patent explains that cars have a large number of functions that the driver can control, and how modern accuracy improvements have led to more precise controls. Ferrari wants a way to control more of them, using what it calls a "simple and cost-effective" method. Ferrari wants a way to control more of them, using what it calls a "simple and cost-effective" method. You might see where this is going. Shift Into... Traction Control? Ferrari Here is the company's example of what the six "gear" slots could potentially do: A slot could select drive while another selects park or neutral. Put it in another "gear" slot, and you could control the traction control or the steering assistance level. Launch control, torque vectoring, each one gets a slot.To actually adjust the setting, you would turn the shift knob. So to adjust the traction control, you would put it in the right "gear" and then turn the knob. To put the car in park, slot the shifter into THAT slot. If turning the shift knob isn't enough, Ferrari also suggests putting touch sensors in it. That could potentially add more functions or finer control. Or an interlock so that you don't change modes accidentally.Inside the box, there are multiple actuators. The purpose of those is to slot the correct position if you forget to. For example, the actuator could put the car in park if you try to get out with it still in drive. So yeah, sounds very convenient. Yes, that's sarcasm.Would this be the perfect compliment to the Ferrari Luce EV's vintage-look interior? It might be, but more likely it could be another nail in the coffin of public perception that Ferrari is currently facing with its slightly controversial electric car. CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters We're fans of automakers trying to boost engagement in EVs, and even wrote about it yesterday with a new Toyota patent. But this feels like a problem to a solution nobody was asking for.Would a fake shifter along with the company's fake clutch be fun? Absolutely. But a gear shift gate that controls key functions including the parking brake, vehicle direction, and traction control? That feels like an opportunity for confusion at best and disaster at worst. At least it's just a patent, which is no guarantee it's even being considered for production.Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.Source: US Patent and Trademark Office
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