Tesla Model S Propulsion is Explained As posted by Learn Engineering on 5/30/17 https://youtu.be/3SAxXUIre28 I recently had Solar City (the solar energy subsidiary of Tesla, Inc.) over to my house to discuss solar panels.  Besides the fact that they could do everything that was impossible for ever other solar company I had spoken with, I had the opportunity to drive the rep's Tesla Model S.  As a dyed in the wool manual transmission guy, I was not expecting to like it . . . but boy was I wrong.  Most notably: The unresponsive and otherwise problematic shifting of automatic transmissions is a non-issue here because there is only one gear so-to-say. Difficulties in using down shifting to brake the car, particularly with continuously variable transmission vehicles, is also a non-issue. ...