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The Ford Focus Electric looks fine. I think there are other electric cars out there that are the electric version of a "typical" car. My theory is automakers

The Ford Focus Electric looks fine. I think there are other electric cars out there that are the electric version of a "typical" car. My theory is automakers want the car to stand out, even if it's ugly, since otherwise how will anyone know you are driving an electric vehicle?

ptaipale 11y ago
VW Golf is sold with the same outward chassis in electric, plug-in hybrid, regular hybrid, gasoline and diesel models. (The electric has a practical range of about 80 to 120 km, i.e. around 100 miles, so not a great success.)
- ZeroGravitas 11y ago
  I generally take this as a bad sign. Full-EV cars are substantially different in their requirements from ICE engined cars, not taking advantage of that just hobbles them. For example, the Tesla 3 pushes the passenger space forward and backwards to fit more people in the same space. It can do so because there's no big, heavy engine up front. Starting with a traditional car body and adding electric is just going to waste space.
  - ptaipale 11y ago
    Yes, but internally the eGolf is not quite the same structure as combustion engine models. Also the most iconic full EV car, Tesla model S, looks very much like combustion engine cars. In fact, from distance it's hard to tell it apart from a Ford Mondeo, the symbol of mediocrity (at least in the UK) which is also a fine and nicely contoured car. The more distinctly formed EV cars, on the other hand, look about as weird as Granma Duck's 1916 Detroit Electric; they have some futuristic aerodynamics but on the desirability scale, they seem to suck.
    - ZeroGravitas 11y ago
      The externals are driven by aerodynamics and should be converging generally. The interior is where there's a bunch of new rules in play, with the front mounted ICE being replaced with a floor of batteries and between wheel motors. That directly allows Tesla to be amongst the safest cars ever built, and to fit more passengers, more comfortably than similarly sized ICE cars. Tesla needs those advantages to balance out initial shortcoming of EV cars, at lower mass-market price points that becomes even more important.
spectrum1234 11y ago
Interesting theory. However most non electric cars look ugly too because...well, I have no idea.
- radiorental 11y ago
  Because of safety standards and efficiency/aerodynamic rules. It's not so much that they're ugly, they all look the same.
andersen1488 11y ago
Except it has a range of 75 miles with a 3.5 hour charge time, making it a completely useless waste of money for most people. The problem is that other car manufacturers are just sticking EV drive-trains into their existing cars, and hoping for the best. It's absurd.

ptaipale 11y ago

VW Golf is sold with the same outward chassis in electric, plug-in hybrid, regular hybrid, gasoline and diesel models. (The electric has a practical range of about 80 to 120 km, i.e. around 100 miles, so not a great success.)

ZeroGravitas 11y ago
I generally take this as a bad sign. Full-EV cars are substantially different in their requirements from ICE engined cars, not taking advantage of that just hobbles them. For example, the Tesla 3 pushes the passenger space forward and backwards to fit more people in the same space. It can do so because there's no big, heavy engine up front. Starting with a traditional car body and adding electric is just going to waste space.
- ptaipale 11y ago
  Yes, but internally the eGolf is not quite the same structure as combustion engine models. Also the most iconic full EV car, Tesla model S, looks very much like combustion engine cars. In fact, from distance it's hard to tell it apart from a Ford Mondeo, the symbol of mediocrity (at least in the UK) which is also a fine and nicely contoured car. The more distinctly formed EV cars, on the other hand, look about as weird as Granma Duck's 1916 Detroit Electric; they have some futuristic aerodynamics but on the desirability scale, they seem to suck.
  - ZeroGravitas 11y ago
    The externals are driven by aerodynamics and should be converging generally. The interior is where there's a bunch of new rules in play, with the front mounted ICE being replaced with a floor of batteries and between wheel motors. That directly allows Tesla to be amongst the safest cars ever built, and to fit more passengers, more comfortably than similarly sized ICE cars. Tesla needs those advantages to balance out initial shortcoming of EV cars, at lower mass-market price points that becomes even more important.

spectrum1234 11y ago

Interesting theory. However most non electric cars look ugly too because...well, I have no idea.

radiorental 11y ago
Because of safety standards and efficiency/aerodynamic rules. It's not so much that they're ugly, they all look the same.

andersen1488 11y ago

Except it has a range of 75 miles with a 3.5 hour charge time, making it a completely useless waste of money for most people. The problem is that other car manufacturers are just sticking EV drive-trains into their existing cars, and hoping for the best. It's absurd.