In December 2018, Ford submitted patent application to the U.S.

Patent and Trademark Office

for a Manual Transmission with Electric Clutch. The USPTO published the patent last
November, Muscle Cars & Trucks discovered the paperwork this month. What we're talking
about is another version of the automated manual transmission, a technical milestone the
automotive industry passed more than 70 years ago. What's more interesting is the bit of MC&T
supposition that comes with the patent discovery, that this transmission could find its way into
the next-generation S650-series Ford Mustang. 

Mechanically speaking, the basics are all here, including a set of gears to manually shift through,
tweaked with the potential use of clever sensors in the shift knob. Without a clutch pedal, the
powertrain would understand when to shift by noting when the driver has gripped the shifter and
started to move it, operating like the everyday manual transmission in everyday use. However,
according to the patent, electronic control of what might be "a dry friction clutch" can be fine-
tuned based on how the driver applies his fingers or pressure to the shift knob. The patent says
the shift knob shell "is flexible, at least in some areas, allowing the driver to slightly deform, i.e.,
crush, the knob." In certain applications, the "magnitude of squeeze applied by the driver" could
mimic working a clutch pedal, with harder squeezes decoupling the clutch further, softer ones
doing the opposite. Another type of delicate, fingertip-controlled clutch operation would let the
driver activate neutral by using a button or another kind of squeeze on the knob, instead of
needing to shift to neutral. 

The patent claims the point of this innovation is to give "many people, especially driving
enthusiasts ... the increased driver interaction" of a manual, without "the negative attributes" of
doing a calf raise every time a new gear is needed. This makes the Ford patent much like the Kia
Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT) that debuted in the European Kia Rio in 2020, which was
developed for the same reason. The Kia IMT is designed for mild hybrids, using the electric bits
of the powertrain to turn the engine on and off throughout a wider range of operation, possible
since the car can control the clutch on its own.