Jay Leno Suggests Petrol-Power Cars Will Become As Rare As Those With Manuals Today

Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno knows a thing or two about cars, so it’s interesting to learn he’s fully behind electric vehicles.

Speaking to CNBC, Leno said there’s “almost no reason to have a gas car unless you’re doing long-haul duty.” He went on to taut the benefits of going electric by saying EVs are faster than many conventionally powered cars and they require little to no maintenance.

In particular, Leno praised Tesla as he said the company has effectively solved the “battery problem.” That’s, of course, a reference to range anxiety and Leno noted the Model S can travel up to 370 miles (595 km) on a single charge.

That’s more than enough for the typical commute and many electric vehicles now have ranges in excess of 200 miles (322 km). However, studies have shown consumers aren’t totally on board with EVs as 58% still have concerns about range. Recharging times are also an issue as a separate study found 74% of people would only be willing to wait 30 minutes or less to receive a charge that delivers approximately 200 miles (322 km) of range.

While electric vehicles still face some hurdles, Leno contends they’re the future as he believes the internal combustion engine will eventually suffer the same fate as the steam engine did over a century ago. As he stated, “I predict that a child born today probably has as much chance of driving in a gas car as people today have been driving a car with a stick shift.”

Also Read: Consumers Still Aren’t Sold On Autonomous And Electric Vehicles

That’s an interesting comparison for a couple of reasons as stick shifts are celebrated by enthusiasts and they’ll likely be the ones clinging to the petrol engine.