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I have never driven a manual. Automatic cars do get better mileage, and AFAIK the concept of “manual” makes no sense in a future where we switch to electric ca

I have never driven a manual. Automatic cars do get better mileage, and AFAIK the concept of “manual” makes no sense in a future where we switch to electric cars to reduce Co2 emissions. The article author’s point about using additional limbs making it harder to text and drive is well taken, but I think we are going to have to continue to work on ways to make texting while driving either safe or impossible in an electric/automatic future.

curlypaul924 8y ago
Cars with automatic transmissions (either planetary gear or dual-clutch) do often get better gas mileage than those with a traditional manual stick shift. The reason is not what some might think. Once, a manual transmission was considered an economy feature. Cars with manual transmissions had a final drive ratio tuned for fuel economy. Today, a manual transmission is considered a sporty feature. Cars with manual transmissions today are often tuned for performance, not economy. This can be seen in both the gear ratios of the transmission and how the engine is tuned. The result is a car that is zippier to drive, but less efficient.
- saltcured 8y ago
  It's not just the final ratio. A modern automatic has a large number of closely-spaced gears and many of the engines have been tuned to have a very efficient low RPM cruise mode. Some have entirely different valve, injection, and ignition timing regimes for this low RPM cruise mode. It is very difficult for a human to keep the engine within such a narrow RPM band for efficiency, without accidentally lugging or stalling. So, they will likely spend their time with higher RPMs which miss these opportunities.
  - benj111 8y ago
    I take it you would still need a human to get the very best fuel economy, just that its becoming increasing difficult to beat the automatic (like compilers v hand optimised ASM).
- astura 8y ago
  Since an automatic transmission costs more than a manual, any minor decrease in gas mileage is mostly a wash.
  - analog31 8y ago
    Indeed, and driving habits (quality and quantity) play a much larger role in fuel cost.
IshKebab 8y ago
> The article author’s point about using additional limbs making it harder to text and drive is well taken That point is nonsense. Changing gear is almost completely automatic and takes very little time. Also completely inapplicable on motorways where you're basically always in 5th .
deleted 8y ago
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curlypaul924 8y ago

Cars with automatic transmissions (either planetary gear or dual-clutch) do often get better gas mileage than those with a traditional manual stick shift. The reason is not what some might think. Once, a manual transmission was considered an economy feature. Cars with manual transmissions had a final drive ratio tuned for fuel economy. Today, a manual transmission is considered a sporty feature. Cars with manual transmissions today are often tuned for performance, not economy. This can be seen in both the gear ratios of the transmission and how the engine is tuned. The result is a car that is zippier to drive, but less efficient.

saltcured 8y ago
It's not just the final ratio. A modern automatic has a large number of closely-spaced gears and many of the engines have been tuned to have a very efficient low RPM cruise mode. Some have entirely different valve, injection, and ignition timing regimes for this low RPM cruise mode. It is very difficult for a human to keep the engine within such a narrow RPM band for efficiency, without accidentally lugging or stalling. So, they will likely spend their time with higher RPMs which miss these opportunities.
- benj111 8y ago
  I take it you would still need a human to get the very best fuel economy, just that its becoming increasing difficult to beat the automatic (like compilers v hand optimised ASM).
astura 8y ago
Since an automatic transmission costs more than a manual, any minor decrease in gas mileage is mostly a wash.
- analog31 8y ago
  Indeed, and driving habits (quality and quantity) play a much larger role in fuel cost.

IshKebab 8y ago

> The article author’s point about using additional limbs making it harder to text and drive is well taken That point is nonsense. Changing gear is almost completely automatic and takes very little time. Also completely inapplicable on motorways where you're basically always in 5th .

deleted 8y ago

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