{"id":94,"date":"2019-10-10T14:38:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T13:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/?p=94"},"modified":"2024-09-17T12:39:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T11:39:42","slug":"are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/","title":{"rendered":"Are electric cars automatic or manual?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Currently, less than two per cent of the vehicles on UK roads are \nelectric. However, this number will rise significantly as the UK plans \nto completely ban new vehicles that run on fossil fuels by 2040. So what\n does this mean for the general population? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means that electric vehicles are the future and will likely be the\n norm in 50 years time. But for now, you may not understand how an \nelectric vehicle works, whether it has gears and how the batteries in \nthem work. In this article, we’ve tried to answer all of your queries \naround electric cars and how to drive one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are all electric cars automatic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most electric cars are automatic, and likely will be in the future. \nThis is because an electric car doesn’t require a clutch due to its \ninability to stall like a petrol or diesel vehicle. Therefore, adding a \nclutch and various gears might not make much sense. However, some \ncompanies have been trying to produce electric vehicles that do still \nhave a five- or six-speed gearbox, to maintain some form of normality \nfor UK drivers who are used to manual vehicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you drive a manual vehicle and you come to a complete stop, you \nmust use both the clutch pedal and the brakes to prevent stalling the \nengine. However, as stated above, electric engines cannot stall in the \nsame way, which is just another reason why the clutch isn’t needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only are electric cars missing a clutch and various gears, but \nthe braking system is different too. Regenerative brakes are used, which\n convert the heat produced from your vehicle’s brakes back into energy \nfor the vehicle’s battery to use.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Do electric cars have gears?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because an electric car doesn’t need a clutch, it also doesn’t require gears. Electric vehicles<\/a>\n don’t feature a multi-speed gearbox like conventional petrol or diesel \nvehicles. Instead, they have just one gear. This is because they can \nachieve much higher revs than a standard fuel engine. A conventional car\n can usually reach around 4,000-6,000 revs per minute (rpm), whereas an \nelectric motor can achieve up to 20,000 rpm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a combustion engine, the engine generates torque, which is used \nfor acceleration, and power in a narrow band of engine speeds, or gears.\n In order to accelerate, the rpm must be kept relatively high to gain \nthe necessary torque and power that’s required. The gears allow you to \nkeep the power between a set amount so that you can gradually speed up \nand slow down while still having enough torque to do so. First gear can \nonly get you up to a certain speed before the amount of rpm becomes too \nmuch and you need to move up to second gear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, electric motors generate 100 per cent of their torque at\n very low speeds (under 1,000 rpm). The more the rpms increase, the less\n torque is generated therefore it’s actually more beneficial to stick to\n a low rpm of around 2,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t mean that electric cars can’t have gears, but they aren’t necessary to make the car run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of batteries are used in electric cars?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In electric cars, there’s a constant battle for the manufacturers. \nThey must make sure that the battery is big enough to keep the car \nrunning for a suitable distance without the need for recharging, but \nthat the battery is small enough so that it doesn’t weigh the vehicle \ndown too much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most electric cars aren’t fully electric but are hybrid variations so\n that they run off a combination of electricity and fuel. The dominant \nbattery to be found in hybrid and electric cars is lithium-ion, \nmanufactured mainly in China, Japan and South Korea. Lithium-ion \nbatteries were originally designed for use in laptops and mobile phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another material that can be used is called nickel manganese cobalt \n(NMC). It has a higher density, which means it could store more energy \nthan a lithium-ion battery. Cars that currently use NMC batteries \ninclude Kia, Hyundai, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology for car batteries is constantly changing as companies \ntry to develop ways to reduce fire resistant, increase environmental \nfriendliness and improve the charging time (to potentially just a few \nminutes instead of a few hours). It’s also thought that current electric\n car batteries don’t have a long lifespan but they’re expensive to \nreplace. Working on a new battery with an improved lifespan could make a\n big difference to the production of these types of cars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price of electric car batteries is thought to have reduced \nsignificantly between 2010 and now. If it continues to decrease, more \ncompanies may look to produce electric cars so that the UK can meet its \ntarget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What electric cars are available?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are more and more options available to you when you come to \nchoose an electric car. Well-known manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai \nand BMW are all producing good quality electric vehicles, such as the \nBMW 3 Series and the Hyundai Ioniq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a fully electric car that charges to 100 per cent power in under \n60 minutes, you could look at a Volkswagen Golf. It can travel around \n144 miles before needing a full charge. For a fully electric vehicle \nthat offers a longer range, you may look at the Nissan Leaf which has a \nbattery range of 235 miles. However it could take around seven to eight \nhours to charge fully. There are plenty of electric vehicles that all \nhave various pros and cons, so ensure that you do your research fully \nbefore making a purchase or leasing an electric vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a hybrid vehicle that runs on \nboth fuel and electricity, Mini, Landrover and Volvo all offer excellent\n vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can view all of our electric and hybrid lease deals<\/a> to see which car is right for you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Currently, less than two per cent of the vehicles on UK roads are electric.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAre electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Leasecar Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LeaseCarUK\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/xcharger.png.pagespeed.ic_.WUTcG7I8Hu-e1570714549894.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"496\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"327\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"LeaseCar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"LeaseCar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"LeaseCar\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86fe7443824b76da68bbb839cd7b5fe6\"},\"headline\":\"Are electric cars automatic or manual?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\"},\"wordCount\":967,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"General\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\",\"name\":\"Are electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Are electric cars automatic or manual?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Leasecar Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"LeaseCar.uk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lease-car-logo-lrg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lease-car-logo-lrg.png\",\"width\":5767,\"height\":1226,\"caption\":\"LeaseCar.uk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LeaseCarUK\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86fe7443824b76da68bbb839cd7b5fe6\",\"name\":\"LeaseCar\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/153691ea6a63e21766e3517b10dc4e96?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/153691ea6a63e21766e3517b10dc4e96?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"LeaseCar\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog","description":"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Are electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog","og_description":"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.","og_url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/","og_site_name":"Leasecar Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LeaseCarUK\/","article_published_time":"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":496,"height":327,"url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/xcharger.png.pagespeed.ic_.WUTcG7I8Hu-e1570714549894.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"LeaseCar","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"LeaseCar","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/"},"author":{"name":"LeaseCar","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86fe7443824b76da68bbb839cd7b5fe6"},"headline":"Are electric cars automatic or manual?","datePublished":"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/"},"wordCount":967,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["General"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/","url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/","name":"Are electric cars automatic or manual? - Leasecar Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-10-10T13:38:51+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-17T11:39:42+00:00","description":"Discover more about how electric cars work, what electric cars are available right now, and the peculiar way that they brake.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/are-electric-cars-automatic-or-manual\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are electric cars automatic or manual?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/","name":"Leasecar Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"LeaseCar.uk","url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lease-car-logo-lrg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lease-car-logo-lrg.png","width":5767,"height":1226,"caption":"LeaseCar.uk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LeaseCarUK\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86fe7443824b76da68bbb839cd7b5fe6","name":"LeaseCar","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/153691ea6a63e21766e3517b10dc4e96?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/153691ea6a63e21766e3517b10dc4e96?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"LeaseCar"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1142,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/1142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasecar.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}