- EV driving lessons in demand
- Manual gearboxes becoming obsolete
- Higher automatic test fail rates
Future drivers of the nation have expressed a desire to gain experience in electric vehicles.
However, a new study by Gridserve, a charging network, indicates that the lack of instructors with electric vehicles in the United Kingdom is impeding the transition to electric driving, creating an environmental dilemma.
Consequently, the manual transmission is likely to be discontinued, as electric vehicles are almost always equipped with single-speed transmissions that render the stick shift unnecessary.
According to a study conducted by an EV leasing company specialising in sustainable energy, 48% of drivers indicated an increased likelihood of enrolling in driving lessons using an electric vehicle.
Gridserve and One Poll found that only one in every seven respondents can locate a local instructor who possesses a battery-powered model.
Additionally, the availability of EV instructors depends on geographical luck.
A mere one in ten students in Yorkshire or the East of England can find one, whereas two out of every five learners (41 percent) in London do so.
Additionally, the West Midlands performed above average, with 23% of residents having access to local EV driving lessons.
An analogous study published by WhatCar? documented an astounding 283% surge in the prevalence of automated tests compared to a decade ago. The study attributes this transformation primarily to the transition to electric vehicles.
EVs are marketed predominantly for their zero-emissions status, but the ease of driving is also a major selling point.
Although electric vehicles lack an automatic transmission, the majority of people perceive them as such.
Conversely, they often consist of single-speed transmissions that provide instant acceleration without requiring the engagement of multiple ratios.
Many might logically conclude that learning to operate an electric vehicle is considerably simpler than operating a manual gearbox vehicle, just as operating an automatic gearbox vehicle is more straightforward.
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However, automatic driving exams have a lower pass rate than manual ones.
Indeed, according to data from 2021/22, the mean pass rate for an auto test was approximately 41.7 percent, while the overall mean success rate during the same period was 48.9 percent.
The report discovered that the increasing prevalence of automatic transmissions in all types of new automobiles may also be influencing learner choices.
According to sales and model range data, only 24 percent of newly introduced mainstream automobiles are equipped with a manual transmission. This proportion is expected to increase over the course of the following decade.
With this in mind, drivers anticipate the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles with the knowledge that they will almost certainly be operating a vehicle without a manual gearbox in the near future, if not immediately.
It is therefore not surprising that 29% of novice drivers informed Gridserve that learning to operate a manual gearbox was pointless, given that they would spend the majority of their driving lives in an automatic EV.
EV Learning Trend and Challenges
About a quarter of respondents (24 percent) said they intended to purchase their first electric vehicle as a rite of passage.
Which? Consumer editor Claire Evans stated, “In addition to the rise in demand for electric vehicles, which do not require conventional gearboxes, manufacturers and engineering trends have contributed to the rise in popularity of automatic gearboxes.”
Furthermore, several newer motorists evidently do not see the necessity of acquiring manual driving skills, as these vehicles are progressively becoming obsolete.
Younger environmentally conscious drivers are driving this trend towards learning to operate an electric vehicle (EV). Forty percent of those between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely to choose an instructor who provides lessons in an EV.
However, an additional issue that requires attention is the relatively low mean passing rate among individuals who receive instruction in electric vehicles.
Gridserve reports that in the preceding five years, only one in ten parents whose children used L-plates on electric vehicles saw their children pass. The same holds true even for combustion-engine automatic vehicles.
Learners are being lulled into a false sense of security due to the expedited learning capabilities of automatic and electric vehicles (EVs) compared to manual cars.
Eliminating the need for early lessons in clutch control and hill starts reduces the number of lessons required by drivers.
Conversely, this may result in a higher fail rate because students have not acquired the same level of practical experience and awareness regarding road safety.
Given that over 70% of registered vehicles in 2023 will be automatic, there will presumably be calls for assistance in mitigating this pass rate issue.
