It doesn't matter how much you believe EVs are not the future, you can't deny the impact the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has had on the performance EV market. With one humble family crossover-turned-hot-hatch (even if it's not really a hot hatch), Hyundai's N division proved to the world that EVs can be fun, even if they need to pretend to be combustion cars to do it.A simulated transmission that set a real high bar has now become a standard emulated by everyone from Honda to Porsche, but it seems Hyundai isn't ready to stop there. Based on a new patent filing CarBuzz has uncovered, it seems Hyundai's mad geniuses have a plan to make simulated shifts even more engaging.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. The Ultimate Solution To The Manual Vs. Automatic Debate Hyundai/Kia/USPTOThe patent, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), shows a new take on the concept of giving a car simulated shifts. This time, Hyundai's N-gineers are proposing a system that could bring back the stick shift even on cars with an automatic transmission. The patent is remarkably detailed, and goes to great lengths to explain the physical makeup of the shift mechanism - which suggests this is more than just a concept - but the idea itself is simple, and one we've already seen pioneered by Koenigsegg and more recently investigated by Porsche.Hyundai wants a shifter that can behave like a gated manual when you want it to, but a traditional automatic when you're feeling lazy. Hyundai proposes a shifter with no physical connection to the transmission. Instead, shift-by-wire functionality enables it to behave like an automatic most of the time, but in specific driving modes, it can mimic a traditional H-pattern manual. Sounds fun; here's how it works.Hyundai/Kia/USPTO The H-Pattern Is Perfect For Hyundai At its core, the "electronic shift operation apparatus," as Hyundai calls it, has seven available gates, mimicking a six-speed manual with a reverse gate, numbered one through R.hyundai-manual-automatic-shifter-patent-figure-27In automatic mode, the shifter would only be operable between two of these gates, each allocated either the Drive or Reverse functions. But Hyundai also proposes the gates parallel to these being operable too, specifically for the use of a manual mode where the car behaves like it has a sequential shifter. By pushing the shift lever over to one side, you'd then be able to push forward to shift up and back to shift down, mimicking a traditional automatic.So what makes this special? Well, there's a clutch pedal, and by pressing the clutch pedal and selecting manual mode, all seven gates are opened up, and the transmission becomes a fully operable manual, with neutral being engaged any time the shifter is between these positions.Hyundai/Kia/USPTO Not Limited By Powertrain Configuration After an initial read, we thought this transmission concept was meant to one-up the Ioniq 5 N's simulated transmission, but after a more thorough analysis, we've come to the conclusion that it's not EV-specific. Hyundai doesn't at all refer to a specific powertrain, avoiding mention of internal combustion or electrified options. Hyundai doesn't even specifically refer to a physical transmission anywhere in the text, other than to state the shift patterns mimic those of a traditional transmission:"As described above, the shift direction stroke in the automatic shift mode and the shift direction stroke in the manual shift mode may be identical to the shift direction stroke during shift operations of an automatic transmission vehicle and a manual transmission vehicle generally, which may eliminate heterogeneity with the vehicle in the related art."- Excerpt from Hyundai/Kia 'Electronic Shift Operation Apparatus' patentHyundai/Kia/USPTOThe patent is explicitly for the shifter mechanism itself, which opens up a world of possibilities for future models. The system could easily be implemented in an EV, with the shift-by-wire functionality working hand-in-hand with the simulated gear ratios and power delivery we've already seen in the Ioniq 5 N. But, it could also be applied to any of the automakers combustion or even hybrid vehicles with a traditional gearbox, in much the same way as the Koenigsegg CC850 uses the same functionality.We already know Hyundai is working on new combustion engines for its next generation of N cars, and with technology like this, it might have found a way to have them operable in a manual fashion, without compromising the emissions and efficiency gains of an automatic. And considering how well Hyundai pulled it off in the Ioniq 5 N, we wouldn't put it past the automaker to nail the simulation on this once again.hyundai-manual-automatic-shifter-patent-figure-11Source: USPTO
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