Just curious really…… On my way home tonight I caught an EV up but noticed that it was from a local driving school and displaying L plates. This made me wonder about anyone passing their tests in an EV land what licence entitlement they’d receive? Perhaps it’s changed now but a pass in an automatic only entitled a person to drive autos, but surely an EV isn’t even an auto is it?
Thoughts.
My understanding is that if you pass the driving test in an EV you’re restricted to driving automatics, the car can have a combustion engine but must be automatic.
However I’ve read that there are plans to discard the automatic only licence anyway, I think it’s only a matter of time before you can pass the test in an EV and drive anything within the appropriate vehicle class.
Yeah I kind of figured that may be the case given that you can now pass your class 1 n an auto and then jump straight into a manual. Thanks for that Tacho.
the maoster:
Yeah I kind of figured that may be the case given that you can now pass your class 1 n an auto and then jump straight into a manual. Thanks for that Tacho.
Unless things have changed I think that only applies if you have passed the car test in a manual vehicle though.
Sorry, yes. I should have quantified that.
Yes, if you pass in an EV, the driving examiner will tick the auto box, for an automatic licence to be issued.
the maoster:
, but surely an EV isn’t even an auto is it?Thoughts.
Interested to know your thinking? In what way is a combustion engine automatic more difficult to drive than an electric?
Have you ever driven an EV? Interested to hear your thoughts.
the maoster:
Have you ever driven an EV? Interested to hear your thoughts.
Not a car no, only motorbikes (including an Energica so not scooters) and a very mild hybrid. I’m aware of the one pedal driving if the regen is set high enough, but you get combustion engines with enough engine breaking that are similar.
The process of driving, without hitting anything, I don’t see how electric makes it different (from an auto).
Well my way of thinking is that even with an auto box the driver has opportunities to intercede because it’s still a gearbox that changes gear as normal albeit without a clutch. You can use kickdown, you can manually (clutchlessly) pick your gears. Whereas with an EV out simply doesn’t have any form of gearbox at all. So yes, I’d say that driving an auto (whilst ■■■■ easy) is still a world apart from driving an EV.
A lot of Japanese autos are CVT (exactly like an electric).