Electric cars... how I would do it.

[porkchop87]

What do you guys think of electric cars? The Chevy Volt? Nissan Leaf?

Why does every electric or hybrid car have to have a radical or "futuristic" design?

My idea:
If I was one of these companies (Chevy or Nissan) I would try to integrate this technology into current models. For example, take the Chevy Malibu or the Chevy Cobalt. I would offer an option when buying one of these cars new. So just like how you can choose an automatic and manual transmission, or a sport or a base model, there would be an electric and gas model. The car could have a small badge on the rear to show the model.... just like a Chevy Cobalt SS, there could be a Chevy Cobalt E or something... I'm no expert, it's just something to think about... I just think most of these companies are going about this all wrong...

I think if these companies just stopped trying to make the environmentally friendly car and just made cars environmentally friendly, they would see a little more sales.

I'm sure people would like to stop paying for gas, but they want to buy something familiar, and decently priced.

 

[BigYoSpeck]

Because just like the Prius if you drive one you want everyone to know you drive one.

 

[porkchop87]

Because just like the Prius if you drive one you want everyone to know you drive one.

Yeah exactly. It could be a little more subtle. Electric cars are too loud (not literally)... obnoxious... their target market should be the driver who wants to stop paying for gas but still wants to get from A to B... not the new-age hippies who want to save the world.

 

[Crumpet]

I'm not a fan of this type of design, I'd rather have an electric Skyline.... Or even better, none at all.

 

[BigYoSpeck]

Yeah exactly. It could be a little more subtle. Electric cars are too loud (not literally)... obnoxious... their target market should be the driver who wants to stop paying for gas but still wants to get from A to B... not the new-age hippies who want to save the world.

Yeah but while it's a new product prices are high until economy of scale kicks in so their customers are famous people, to establish the fashionable branding and then upper and middle class people who want every one to know about the anonymous good work they do.

 

[porkchop87]

Yeah but while it's a new product prices are high until economy of scale kicks in so their customers are famous people, to establish the fashionable branding and then upper and middle class people who want every one to know about the anonymous good work they do.

Good point.

Not to hammer my theory anymore but, just another reason I think the electric motor should be an option for current models and not an entirely new model.

 

[homeforsummer]

There are plenty of companies working on doing just that. BMW for one, with their ActiveE concept which is essentially a 1-Series coupe, and remember they've already made a MINI-E, electric version of the current MINI.

Smart have done the same with the Electric Drive which is a Fortwo in all but drivetrain.

There's a very good and very simple reason that manufacturers are making dedicated platforms though, and that's because an electric powertrain is a very different shape to a petrol or diesel one so gives designers carte blanche to start again with the design.

Put it this way - an EV doesn't even necessarily need a hood for anything other than crash structure reasons. If you don't have an engine, you don't need a big space to put an engine. Electric motors are pretty small and most companies are fitting batteries in the floorpan or below the trunk. Converting a car that's already got a regular drivetrain is an inefficient use of space.

And anyway, cars like the Leaf and Volt are hardly that radical. They still look like pretty normal cars. The Leaf, for example, is far less futuristic looking than the regularly-propelled Juke.

And this:

Because just like the Prius if you drive one you want everyone to know you drive one.

Is a bit of a short-sighted opinion.

And this:

I think if these companies just stopped trying to make the environmentally friendly car and just made cars environmentally friendly, they would see a little more sales.

...ignores the two main stumbling blocks to EV ownership, which are range and price. I doubt the designs above are too radical for most people so it's hardly the main issue.

 

[BigYoSpeck]

And this:

Is a bit of a short-sighted opinion.

I'm sure there are some people who drive a Prius because they aren't informed enough to know there are more economical cars and that pretty much any car causes less environmental impact from manufacture to destruction, or people who pick it from the company car list because of the tax benefits (top tip if you ever buy a second hand one go for an ex company car because you can pretty much guarantee that electric motor has never been used )

 

[homeforsummer]

There are almost certainly people who buy it for the image you're right, but then many don't, too. And if you drive a lot around town it can quite happily sit up there with diesels in terms of economy, as diesels aren't really in their stride at lower speeds so economy isn't as good as it is when you get to the motorway.

Don't get me wrong I'm not really a fan of the Prius, but they're far from being a bad car and around town hybrids are quite logical choices, not least because as with stop-start vehicles, they spend much of their time without the engine running. Even the most ardent of petrolheads would admit there's not much point sitting in traffic using up fuel...

EVs are just more of the same. No good for long distances yet, and expensive, but properly brilliant around town.

 

[Keef]

A lot of the design of hybrids and electrics is based on efficiency, especially aerodynamics. The roof profiles of the Honda CRX, original and latest Insights, all Prii, the Audi A2, Volt, and various other cars are based on the Kamm/Koenig-Fachsenfeld design principle, called a Kammback design. Basically, the roof flows smoothly toward the rear edge of the car where it is abruptly cut off. It helps reduce lift and drag, and because air tends to flow in the direction established by the Kamm shape there is no need to run a tapered rear all the way back like a teardrop.

Modern uses of it are a bit of a compromise compared to the "traditional" design you can find on all sorts of classic race cars like Daytona Coupes or 250 GTOs. Modern cars don't taper nearly as much because cargo space and short length are a bigger concern, but the basic idea is the same. It's both more efficient for aerodynamics and interior volume than traditional hatchback or sedan shapes.

I personally think that's the most interesting design feature of all these cars. The Volt looks pretty pedestrian besides that. The Leaf is the most ridiculous of them all, looking like some sort of goofy alien.

 

[Time_Attack]

RUF makes a fully electric 911.
















It weighs over 4000lbs.

 

[BrutherSuperior]

A lot of the design of hybrids and electrics is based on efficiency, especially aerodynamics.

If EVs are supposed to be 'city cars'...what's the point of all the aero research?

The faster you go, the more aerodynamics come into play. In a city setting, where speed limits are usually in the 35mph range, what's the point? Also, aero changes dramatically when you are following another vehicle. Ride a motorcycle behind a semi...you'll see what I'm talking about.

In city driving, stop-n-go is pretty much the law of the land. Takes a lot of energy to move 4,000lbs...electric or not.

I just see these cars as a gigantic Gov't subsidized paradox;

If you live in a city; you probably park on the street or live in a condo/apartment...you can't charge.
If you live in a city; an EV will not be able to transport you out of city limits and back without a splash of electricity...which can take hours.
If you live in a city; why buy a $30-40,000 car when you can use public transport to go to work?

I just don't get it. If it's a second car...fine. But if it is your sole mode of transportation, it doesn't make sense.

 

[Azure Flare]

They will never ever make a sound like this

 

[homeforsummer]

If you live in a city; you probably park on the street or live in a condo/apartment...you can't charge.
If you live in a city; an EV will not be able to transport you out of city limits and back without a splash of electricity...which can take hours.

I don't get these arguements. If you live in a city then you're unlikely to have a car anyway, or at least use one regularly. Most people who don't fit into that demographic will work in a city, but commute in.

If this is the case, then your second point makes no sense either. Most modern EVs have a range between 80-100 miles. This means you'd have to live at least 40 miles away from where you park your car for it to require charging to get you home again. And 40 miles is quite a commute into a city, even in the States. If you did have a space with a charger, you could commute 80-100 miles each way with no problems.

40 miles will easily take you out of city limits in cities like New York, Chicago, LA etc.

Also, most EVs are significantly lighter than that 4,000 lbs figure. Even the slower ones are quick enough to move quicker off the line than most traffic.

If you live in a city; why buy a $30-40,000 car when you can use public transport to go to work?

Personal freedom. Even the best public transport system in the world is pretty grim compared to having the personal space of your own car. And at least in an EV you're not sitting there wasting gas that could be better used having fun.

I agree with you that it won't make sense for a lot of people, especially as a main car... but then, it also will make sense for a lot of people, including as a main car.

They will never ever make a sound like this

No, but then neither do 99.9% of other cars.

 

[YSSMAN]

What do you guys think of electric cars? The Chevy Volt? Nissan Leaf?

It is a brilliant car, frankly. Considering the overall lack of compromises required in a car like this, it is a reasonable solution if you have the means to acquire one. Considering that the car keeps a 400 mile range, can do 100+ MPH, hits 60 MPH well under 10 seconds, seats four, and carries just about the same amount of stuff as a Cruze, well, it just works. Adapting Voltec to other vehicles however, that will be the major hurdle for GM.

As for the Leaf, I am unimpressed. It is a bit too small, and a bit too limited to be as widely as accepted as the Volt will be. The Leaf caters to a very specific crowd, and while I have little doubt that it will do well for pure EV vehicles, I do not think it will sell as well as the Volt or the Plug-In Prius.

My idea:
If I was one of these companies (Chevy or Nissan) I would try to integrate this technology into current models. For example, take the Chevy Malibu or the Chevy Cobalt. I would offer an option when buying one of these cars new. So just like how you can choose an automatic and manual transmission, or a sport or a base model, there would be an electric and gas model. The car could have a small badge on the rear to show the model.... just like a Chevy Cobalt SS, there could be a Chevy Cobalt E or something... I'm no expert, it's just something to think about... I just think most of these companies are going about this all wrong...

What you just described there, in a nutshell, is the difference between the Chevrolet Cruze and the Chevrolet Volt. The same platform, some similar parts, but completely different technology coming out of the same oven.

I think if these companies just stopped trying to make the environmentally friendly car and just made cars environmentally friendly, they would see a little more sales.

This tends to depend more on the company and the people who typically buy their vehicles than anything else. Chevrolet offers the Cruze Eco, which is a specially tuned version of the regular Cruze that ditches about 200 lbs of nonsense, adds the low-resistance tires from the Volt, matches the 1.4T with a six-speed manual, and gives it some fancy aero and suspension modifications to drastically increase fuel economy at little cost to the driver. Ford is planning on doing something similar with the new Focus, and I believe Honda has similar plans with the new Civic that comes out later this year.

 

[Spacegoat]

Or even better, none at all.

I vote for this option.