The short answer is ....yes!
Most electric cars are automatic, and likely will be in the future. Electric cars don't require a clutch due to the inability to stall like a petrol or diesel vehicle.
Some companies have been trying to produce electric vehicles that do still have a five- or six-speed gearbox, to maintain some form of normality for UK drivers who are used to manual vehicles. They are certainly not the norm though.
What's different about electric cars?
Not only are electric cars missing a clutch and various gears, but the braking system is different too. Regenerative brakes are used, which convert the heat produced from your vehicle’s brakes back into energy for the vehicle’s battery to use.
Electric cars have just one gear because they can achieve much higher revs than a standard fuel engine. A conventional car can usually reach around 4,000-6,000 revs per minute (rpm), whereas an electric motor can achieve up to 20,000 rpm.
Is an automatic car easier to drive than a manual?
An automatic car is easier to drive as you simply put it in 'D' and off you go! Depsite the rise in the number of electric cars on our roads and the pledge to go electric only in the next 10 years, just 11% of learners chose automatic only, in the UK in the past year.* This figure has risen by 5% in the last 5 years however.
If you learn to drive in an automatic it is often more expensive, harder to find an instructor and most importantly you will not be permitted to drive a manual car. Whereas if you pass your test in a manual, the automatic option is open to you. It will be interesting to see how trends change in the next 5 to 10 years.
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*source www.wearemarmalade.co.uk