Why does the cars design change? No, it's not just a trend!
In the last blog, we wrote about tectonic changes in the auto industry and our lives. If we just focus on technology, more has happened in the automotive industry in the past ten years than in the previous 120 years.
However, what about the exterior design? Have you noticed how cars are changing? Yes, but maybe you think it is just about new trends or wishes and desires of designers, who constantly want to change something, because that is the only way to maintain their creativity.
The fact is that cars are already changing their shapes and curves, and in the future, this will be even more noticeable. The reason is mainly one - a change in the technique and size of the electric motor and battery, which have a very strong influence on the exterior design.
In the following sentences we are going deeper into technical explanations, but there is no other way.
The first electric cars were completely influenced to the technical design; the exterior design itself was pushed into the background, because it was not that important at the time. You may have also noticed that most of the new electric cars are SUV’s. The reason is, it is much easier to install a 500-kilogram battery in an SUV, which has a raised chassis and more space in the floor of the car, than in a coupe, sedan or wagon that does not offer this space, since the body is pushed closer to the ground.
You may also have noticed that journalists often criticize why electric cars do not have a front trunk, but maybe it is not fully clear. Electric motor is much smaller than the gasoline and diesel one. In some applications, it can even be built into the wheels along with transmission. Therefore, there can be a lot of free space under the front engine cover, but only if the manufacturers use it for the trunk. When converting gasoline and diesel cars to electric cars, they often cannot, because they simply require too expensive changes in the design of the car.
But when manufacturers start developing electric sedans, wagons and coupes, they get a completely new exterior look. The reasons for this are as follows:
A smaller engine requires less space under the front bonnet, this part of the car can also be shorter and lower, so the body overhangs over the front axle can also be shorter. In addition to the engine, the gearbox is also smaller, there are fewer cables and other technical components, which frees up space in the front part of the car that designers can use for the trunk.
Cars, even sports cars, are or will be taller because they need space for an integrated battery in the bottom of the body. If you want this to give you 500 or more kilometers of range on a single charge, it has to fill the space of the entire wheelbase between the front and rear axles, and it needs at least 15 centimeters or more in height, including the battery frame.
Due to these reasons, some sports cars have smaller T-shaped batteries and less autonomy, so that they do not interfere too much with the design of the car.
We have already stepped in the cabin of the car. Due to the aforementioned design, well-designed electric cars have significantly more cabin space, so they can be smaller to offer the same spatial effect. In addition, they do not have the usual tunnel between the seats, where in gasoline and diesel cars there is a gearbox and a cardan to transfer power to the rear wheels (in rear and four-wheel drive). The issue of rear drive is simply solved by installing an additional electric motor on the rear axle.
All these facts strongly influence the shape of the car and give designers the freedom to design the electric car differently and more efficiently. Of course, this is also known in the external form.
As you follow the arrival of new electric cars in the coming years, you will better understand why they will simply look different from today's cars, and that the reason for this is not just the whims of the designers.