Are all electric cars automatic?

The short answer to this question is that almost all electric cars are automatic. There are just a few exceptions, and those are a simulation of a manual gearbox, rather than a genuine manual transmission in the conventional sense.

Let’s take a look at why this is the case, and some of the benefits of automatic electric cars for drivers.

What Is A Manual Gearbox?

A manual gearbox forms part of the transmission of a manual vehicle — the system that ‘transmits’ power from the engine to the wheels. In the transmission, there are two shafts, an input shaft, and an output shaft, which run parallel and are connected by a number of gears.

The ratio of those gear sizes will determine both the speed and the torque transmitted to the wheels. So first gear might have a ratio of 3:1, whereas fifth gear may be closer to 0.5:1 or thereabouts.
All of this happens ‘under the hood’ but for drivers, it means that when you want to accelerate, you need to change up through the gears manually, and when you want to slow down, you have to switch down again.

To change gear, the driver:

• presses down on the clutch pedal, which disengages the gears completely
• moves the gear lever to the desired position
• releases the clutch to engage the new gear
• applies acceleration to keep the car moving as the new gear engages

A poorly timed gear change, or engaging the wrong gear at a certain speed, will normally produce a loud crunching sound, can stall the engine, and may physically damage the teeth of the gear cog.

What is Automatic Transmission?

Some internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles have an automatic transmission, with a gear knob that chooses between modes rather than gears (typically Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive, sometimes with a fifth Low or Sports mode).

Automatic transmission takes care of gear changes, performing them smoothly and quickly at the optimal speed. The result is a vehicle that accelerates evenly with optimised fuel economy.

Electric cars are different. They don’t have an internal combustion engine with a spinning drive shaft. Instead, their solid-state batteries power an electric motor capable of running at much higher RPM than an ICE engine. Because of this, electric vehicles don’t need a clutch or a gearbox — they can operate through their full range of acceleration in a single gear.

Benefits of Automatic Electric Cars

The benefits of automatic electric cars are much the same as automatic ICE vehicles, although the mechanism is quite different.

With automatic transmission on electric cars, you get:

• Smooth acceleration all the way to top speed
• Maximum torque at lower speeds (for pulling away, hill climbs, etc)
• Optimised fuel economy for maximum range on a single charge
• No need to engage a clutch pedal or manually shift gears
• No way for the engine to stall even at low speeds

In general, an automatic gearbox will have a parking mode that immobilises the vehicle, a reversing mode for going backwards, a neutral mode for coasting with no power, and a drive mode for going forwards.

Some automatic electric cars have a two-speed gearbox, allowing the driver to manually select a second drive mode. This is not a ‘second gear’ in the traditional sense, but often limits the output of the motor for more economical driving.

Do any Electric Cars have Manual Transmission?

Because a lot of motorists are used to driving with a manual gearbox, some electric vehicle manufacturers have created ways to offer this on electric cars, either by adding genuine manual gears to the transmission, or just to replicate the sensation of changing gear without actually doing so.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan, for example, has two physical gears, but still uses an automatic transmission to make the shift at around 50mph. Several other two-speed electric car gearboxes have also been unveiled by different manufacturers in recent months.

In 2019, Ford exhibited the Ford Mustang Lithium concept car, an EV with a six-speed manual gearbox, showing that there is still interest among manufacturers in producing electric muscle cars with manual gear control for the driver.

And Toyota has filed patents that would allow for a virtual manual gearbox on an automatic electric car. It’s not clear exactly how this would affect the drive, but it’s likely that it would allow for the physical feeling of a gear change — the slight slowing in speed as the gears are disengaged, and so on — without actually delivering the benefits of selecting a different gear.

Is Automatic Better?

Ultimately, electric vehicles have an automatic transmission for a reason: it’s the most economical, efficient way to drive the vehicle, and they just don’t need a clutch or manual gear selection.

While the sensation of driving an automatic electric car might feel very different if you’ve only ever used manual ICE vehicles before, it’s worth giving it a chance – your left hand might find a whole new lease of life, once it no longer needs to rest on the gear stick throughout your journey!