Automatic/Manual

Why do car transmissions have to be either manual or automatic?  Why can't they allow switching modes to either when desired, or have a backup automatic system when someone severely fucks up in manual and is about to blow a rod?  What's so hard about having a transmission that can switch between the two?

Expensive, and more points of possible failure.

Manual transmission uses a set of gears arranged on a cone, and the stick moves this cone back and forth to get different ratios.  An automatic transmission uses a planetary gear system, holding various different gears in place to achieve different ratios.  Additionally, automatics have a torque converter, which allows you to stop the car while still in drive and not have the engine stall out -- it also results in poorer gas milage and slower response to the accelerator. 

Putting in both would mean an additional transmission (one auto, one manual), and then two additional converters to apply power to one or the other.  Converters and gears are actually extremely inefficient, so that would be a bad idea.  Of course, many specialized vehicles do have multiple redundant systems.  But those are usually electrical, for better efficiency.

The auto/manual transmission debate will soon be dead.  Continiously variable transmissions are already appearing in some cars, and are much more efficient.  With electrial-based cars soon to come, the need for gears will be gone, since electrical motors get about the same power over all speeds.

Formula 1 - 2008 => manual!

Electrical > gas anyways

1. It doesn't fuck up the world
2. You don't have to pay those muslims for it, any country can produce electricity
3. It's simpler, cheaper, much less dangerous in case of accident

And gets crappy mileage

|Watch as electrical cars outrun your gas gussling SUVs!

As for auto/manual, I've heard of a manual transmission car that handles like an automatic.

There are plenty of cars now that employ hybrid-esque gearbox systems - some use an automatic-style stick by the gears are controlled by computer. In a similar vein, there are now cars with flappy paddles for gear changing, or have a clutch that disengages when you grasp the gear stick. It wouldn't be too hard to have a computer-controlled manual gearbox which has a driver override (say, the normal six positions on the stick for manual (and reverse) and a seventh for computer controlled).

But then as a Brit, we all have a good laugh at the Americans and their fascination with automatic transmissions - here in the UK, people who drive automatics are generally seen as big girly weedy weeds who can only drive toy cars.

Re: electrical versus gas

Isn't most of the US's electricity generated from burning coal?  So you're just moving the pollution from your car to coal burning factories.  And I think burning coal is even worse than petrol for the environment.

Pretty much. Its mostly a gimmik to make hippies happy. Infact the reality is, lets say the car consumes x Watts of energy to regarde, well the powerplant that provided that energy provided 2*x Watts to get that to you. Maximum power transfer (getting the most power possible to the load) occurs when the source impedance matches the load impedance.

"tiptronic"

clutchless manual, same as formula 1 uses now

buttons on the steering wheel you click up click down to shift gears

not quite an automatic, but it gives up the amazing control of a manual clutch though

spinning up/spinning down the clutch to match the gear you want to catch and engaging it at just the right moment is what makes driving... driving

otherwise youre just steering around a souped up go cart