Driving tests: What will happen to manual tests/licences when all new cars are electric?

[Windy Miller]

I drive either manual or auto with very few adjustment problems. I very occasionally try to depress the non existent clutch pedal in Mrs Miller's Merc, and I also flap my left arm about looking for the handbrake sometimes, but these issues are very infrequent.

What DOES get me nearly every day though, is the position of the indicator arm! My old L200 has the indicators on the right side of the steering column, and I'm forever signaling with the wipers if I've been in her car for any length of time!

More scary though, is the Forward/Reverse gear selector on the Merc is in the same position as my indicator arm on the Mitsubishi. Nearly reversed into the car behind once when I decided to change lanes whilst waiting at some traffic lights! I nearly soiled my pants that day, so I'm extra careful now!

 

[minimutly]

Never had an issue left foot braking. It's just practice.

Yes, and when I’ve got back into a loose surface race car - wondering if I’ve forgotten it - each time it happens automatically. Nothing like it!

 

[Hood]

You think that's complicated...

My Range Rover has P(ark), R(reverse), N(eutral), D(rive), S(port). Sport holds the gears longer, then there's the flappy paddles behind the steering wheel allowing you to manually select any of the 8 gears in Drive or Sport. Hold down the up paddle to re-engage auto mode. Then you have high and low to rinse and repeat. On top of all that you have Road, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand, Rock Crawl and Mud Ruts on the traction control which adjusts the throttle response, braking, allowable gears and suspension height / stiffness.

Sounds like my bike but I have drive, sport 1, sport 2 and sport 3 as well as all the traction control, ABS and loads of others but it also has one mode I would think it unlikely your Range Rover has

Edit

My reverse however is push power

 

[ukracer]

That is why newbies are taught to tuck their left leg under the seat!

I have driven both and can't remember one time I have put my left foot on the brake.
I have used an imaginary clutch a few times.

Worse experience I have had with left foot breaking was a go kart session. Kept stopping the kart ..,lol

 

[Hood]

I have driven both and jumped back and forth between them and never had an issue with DCT or Auto cars but as has been mentioned by a few, the first junction when going back into the manual sometimes is a bit juddery until you remember that clutch needs pressed. Funny thing is you remember it when changing gear no problem.

On the new bike the first few times I kept grabbing for the clutch when coming to a stop, not had a bike for 24 or so years but even after all that time I was still looking for it at junctions, thankfully Honda put the parking brake well out of hand reach

 

[ukracer]

We have new cars at the office as pool cars.
Hybrid ones at present. You have to have 90 minutes with a local instructor to be allowed to drive them.
The reason is you can drive them as an automatic or as a 4 speed manual.
When I did my test I was told, by 2030 you will be asked to take a lesson to see if you can drive an all electric car.

Oh what fun that will be, not.

Why would you need to do that?

 

[ukracer]

What makes you think you will be allowed a personal vehicle or to drive in 30 years?

I won't be here in 30 years time but no way am I letting a computer drive me......it's going to be bad enough them driving those around me.

 

[gaz1]

Why would you need to do that?

could be down to the price of the vehicle that you dont own as its really a loan car

as the battery is on loan whilst your paying for the shell but you still dont own the car

 

[colnerov]

Why would you need to do that?

Hi, That's most likely down to company policy and their lack of faith in their employees, justified in some cases if my experiences are anything to go by.

Colin

 

[sako243]

Sounds like my bike but I have drive, sport 1, sport 2 and sport 3 as well as all the traction control, ABS and loads of others but it also has one mode I would think it unlikely your Range Rover has

Edit

My reverse however is push power

What's that poop your pants mode?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Why would you need to do that?

Hi, That's most likely down to company policy and their lack of faith in their employees, justified in some cases if my experiences are anything to go by.

Colin

Company policy.
Company rules.
I did mine, it was a joke.

 

[Revs1972]

When I switched from Manual to Auto, first couple of days i would regularly plant myself into the windscreen as I hit the brake with the clutch foot as well

Driven Auto Vans exclusively for last 5 years. They gave me a manual when one was in for a service. The amount of times I stalled , forgetting to push the clutch in when stopping .
Changing gear gets a bit monotonous when there are 6 of them too. I can still spin my wheels in my Auto Transit Custom Sport when I fancy it mind

Waiting for my leccy car to be built at the moment. It will park for you, steer and accelerate / brake for you in traffic. It will even reverse the last 50 metres you drove if you press the right button.
I'll have to read a book to give me something to do

 

[ronan]

Driving licences are the least of the worries. The gang of eejits who run over here are going to : Increase road taxes and fuel taxes, increase parking charges, increase import duty on cars and more. They say they want to make the car history and for people to use the alternatives.

It took me over two hours to get into town and back out to another suburb to the west of the city last week, and two long walks also. If thats the alternative, they can stick it, i only travelled about 6 or 7 miles, but no direct route. If i had to do that everyday i would be knackered in a week. Two hours morning and ditto in the evening .

Its like Pol-Pot and his "Year zero".

 

[minimutly]

Driving licences are the least of the worries. The gang of eejits who run over here are going to : Increase road taxes and fuel taxes, increase parking charges, increase import duty on cars and more. They say they want to make the car history and for people to use the alternatives.

It took me over two hours to get into town and back out to another suburb to the west of the city last week, and two long walks also. If thats the alternative, they can stick it, i only travelled about 6 or 7 miles, but no direct route. If i had to do that everyday i would be knackered in a week. Two hours morning and ditto in the evening .

Its like Pol-Pot and his "Year zero".

You better get the old donkey out then....

 

[Hood]

What's that poop your pants mode?

Well I suppose it could be described as such.

A clue, it can be set to 0,1,2 and 3.
0 being off and 3 being the maximum intervention.

 

[ronan]

You better get the old donkey out then....

Its heading that way.

 

[Wildatlanticwelder]

Anti wheelie mode?

 

[Hood]

Anti wheelie mode?

Aye, 3 won't let it come up at all, 2 a wee bit, 1 quite a bit and 0 is up to you

Not tried it out yet but now the first service is out the way I might have a mess around with it

 

[Hitch]

Try telling that to my left leg!

When you get fed up of following a line of slow traffic, put the computer in sport mode, smoke it across the roundabout, past all the traffic, cut back in at the last minute, then go for the 'clutch' to change gear.

Despite having just spent 5 hours driving the same car.

 

[Wildatlanticwelder]

Handy job ,the AT is so tall you might need a mirror off the front of your helmet to see where you are going! wonder if you set it on one and give it some, how many gears will it pull before it touches the ground again