Porsche Patents A Manual Transmission For Hybrids
One of Porsche's dual-clutch gearboxes turns up in a European Patent Office filing paired with both a clutch pedal and a shifter, an approach that mirrors the route Ferrari took with the 12 Cilindri Manuale.
Ferrari's return of the stick drew early applause, though enthusiasts soon discovered the design is not a genuine gated manual but a shifter bolted onto the marque's dual-clutch hardware. The shifter, clutch pedal, and gearbox share no physical linkage. Pressing the clutch instead tells the transmission control unit, via sensors, to change gears.
Porsche's filing outlines a comparable arrangement. Under normal driving, the system behaves like any standard automatic. Gear changes can be made through paddles behind the wheel, or by nudging the selector fore and aft, an idea Koenigsegg already uses in the CC850. Selecting a dedicated mode brings the clutch pedal into play and turns the shifter into a genuine H-pattern for full manual control.
According to the patent, the transmission is capable of serving both combustion and hybrid powertrains. That is notable because Porsche's present hybrid setup, found in cars such as the 911 T-Hybrid, cannot accept a manual, as its electric motor sits inside the dual-clutch unit itself.
Timo Resch, boss of Porsche Cars North America, said last month that the current hybrid cannot be mated to a manual, while voicing hope that the company's engineers might find a way around the problem. This patent appears to represent that solution.
The filing confirms no production plans, and a patent alone is no guarantee the technology reaches a showroom.
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