Could electric cars have a manual transmission?
This is the second video of a five part series where I’ve partnered with Formula E to answer questions about electric vehicles, and this topic was actually inspired by Renault’s season 2 Formula E car, which uses a 2-speed gearbox matched with a single transversely mounted electric motor. What’s super clever about their set up, is that they have incorporated a manual gear stick, using cables and rods to switch between the two gears, rather than the pneumatic paddle shifters which other teams were using. Renaults solution is simpler, and also lighter, as it doesn’t require onboard pumps or air-tanks for gear shifts. But could this be taken a step further, and incorporate a clutch as well for street cars? I spent some time chatting with the current Formula E champion, Lucas Di Grassi, who spends his free time engineering electric bikes, about this idea. We have two questions to answer: 1. Is it possible? 2. Is it logical?
2026-02-04T23:11:53Z
Auto retail momentum continues, sales cross 27 lakh units in January
Automobile retail sales rose nearly 18 per cent year-on-year to over 27 lakh units in January, led by continued post-GST momentum, healthy rural cash flows on the back of harvest and weddings, and sustained demand visibility across freight, dealer's body FADA said on Tuesday. Overall retail sales last month grew to 27,22,558 units, up 17.61 per cent, as against 23,14,940 units in January 2025. Passenger vehicle retails stood at 5,13,475 units...
2026-02-10T09:12:19Z