EVs Outsold Manual-Transmission Vehicles In 2019 In USA

Electric vehicles outsold manual-transmission vehicles in the USA for the first time in 2019. This is just another data point showing that consumers are making wiser choices when it comes to driving and choosing more and more zero-emissions vehicles.

For those who don’t know (yes, there are people who don’t know what driving a stick is), a manual-transmission vehicle is one in which you have to physically shift the vehicle into each gear. It’s also known as a stick shift. Americans mostly drive cars with automatic transmissions. However, many of us probably know people who have preferred manual transmissions (or perhaps you are one such person yourself).

The fact that EVs have outsold manual-transmission vehicles is a huge achievement for an industry that is relatively new.

GreenCarReports says, however, they would hardly call this a victory since manual-transmission vehicles are such a minority of the market these days. Manual-transmission vehicles made up 1.1% of U.S. vehicle retail sales in 2019. I personally think we should take the thoughts of “victory” out and replace it with “steps.” This is another step toward a future of electric vehicles covering our streets, a future without gasoline/diesel vehicles clogging up our breathing spaces.

EVs are a way we can step up and create a better future for our children by not contributing to air pollution. In 2018, manuals held a tiny lead over EVs, at 1.6% of the total retails vehicle sales in the U.S. The Tesla Model 3 was the key catalyst, as the best-selling EV not just in the U.S. but in the world, which helped push EVs past manuals in 2019. If it wasn’t for the push by Tesla, EVs would probably not even be considered a viable option for more than a tiny number of drivers.