4 ms·

I think this is the biggest problem with EVs. Manufacturers are trying to make them look too futuristic. Why can't they look like normal cars?

namdnay 4y ago
the PSA and Renault EVs look perfectly normal. So do the Kia/Hyundai ones apart from their two flagships
nikanj 4y ago
I’d pay stupid amounts of money for a combination of an 1950s design with modern EV tech&safety. The fins, the two-color paint job, etc.
- hef19898 4y ago
  There are actually a couple of companies doing EV conversions for classic cars. Safety is an issue so, and safety is also what will make a pure 50s visiual desogn impossible today.
  - nikanj 4y ago
    Most of the design language that I yearn for has zero effect on safety. I don't want my car to look like an aggressive feline animal when viewed from the front, but essentially all modern cars do. I want my rear lights to be shaped like, well, lights, not like abstract paintings. Etc
- Kaibeezy 4y ago
  See also: cars of Gattaca https://www.imcdb.org/m119177.html https://www.imcdb.org/m119177.html
- bluedino 4y ago
  The vehicles in The Fifth Element had a retro theme, but of course they flew. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cars_of_the_The_Fifth_Element_movie.jpg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cars_of_the_The_Fifth_E...
zelos 4y ago
The Ioniq 6 kind of looks like the C6 if you squint a bit.
avereveard 4y ago
The issue in part comes from not having a grille, so that the front looks empty and boring. They are filling that space the way they can, but a grille also saves a ton of heavy, expensive metal on the part. Cue the abundant plastic inserts in electric cars. Overall I think the tesla and kona have doing it well and Toyota has been overdoing it.
- Gare 4y ago
  Plastic inserts are also a nice way to hide radars and cameras.
_ph_ 4y ago
First of all, I would wonder what you consider a "normal car"? The older Citroën cars shown in the article were all "normal". But indeed ahead of their time. The shape of "normal" cars, which I assume are ICE cars for you has very much varied over the decades. In the late 80ies and early 90ies there were quite a few models designed strictly for good aerodynamics, later on the aerodynamic efficiency unfortunately dropped quite a bit. Recent years car designs are not very good in my eyes. To answer the question: a lot of the traditional car design comes from designing around combustion engines. They need cooling and more space than an electric motor. See for example the return to rear wheel drive, as this makes most sense with a tiny electric engine. The huge front space is basically only needed for crash safety. At least some cars offer a good frunk. Of course the shift to electric cars will lead to different designs. Aerodynamic becomes much more important, no big engine, but instead a large battery, but at differen places in the car. And of course a good bit of marketing. Beyond the technical needs, you want a new generation of cars also to look "new". Good design though combines new looks with the new technological requirements.
- lloeki 4y ago
  > I would wonder what you consider a "normal car" I think GP means that many EVs are visually designed to explicitly advertise they're EVs in extremely obvious, sometimes tacky ways by overusing some pop sci fi tropes (electricity is blue, polygons are futuristic...) Goes to the sound too, Renault Zoe emits a retrofuturistic drone that evokes all kinds of Star Wars hoverbikes and crafts. Some may look nice right now, challenging current mainstream design trends, some may not but turn out to look nice someday. Others are just annoying because they scream "look look I'm an EV" either for status symbol or brand recognition, which feels very artificial/superficial.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    >>Goes to the sound too, Renault Zoe emits a retrofuturistic drone that evokes all kinds of Star Wars hoverbikes and crafts. I mean, that comes from a simple design question - how do you warn pedestrians in an audible way that one of these is nearby? My Volvo XC60 PHEV doesn't make any sound when being driven in EV mode, and people just don't hear it coming. You can pull up right behind someone(pedestrian) in a parking lot and they are completely oblivious there is a car behind them. Of course sound isn't the only thing pedestrians should rely on, but it is an actual problem - electric cars are just completely silent. My Volkswagen e-Up has a sound generator and it emits sound like a small ICE, but not quite - it's like uncanny valley of sound. Is that better than ZOE's futurisic sounds? I really don't know. But I do believe they should emit something.
gambiting 4y ago
There's plenty normal-looking EVs around. We have a Volkwagen e-Up and you can only tell it's electric by looking at the badge. It looks like a normal Up in every other aspect. Same with the likes of the Kia Niro, Hyundai Ioniq(not the Ioniq 5, I mean the sedan), I'd argue that the Audi E-Tron, E-Tron Q4, E-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan - they all look like completely normal cars. If you told me they have a combusion engine inside I'd believe you.

namdnay 4y ago

the PSA and Renault EVs look perfectly normal. So do the Kia/Hyundai ones apart from their two flagships

nikanj 4y ago

I’d pay stupid amounts of money for a combination of an 1950s design with modern EV tech&safety. The fins, the two-color paint job, etc.

hef19898 4y ago
There are actually a couple of companies doing EV conversions for classic cars. Safety is an issue so, and safety is also what will make a pure 50s visiual desogn impossible today.
- nikanj 4y ago
  Most of the design language that I yearn for has zero effect on safety. I don't want my car to look like an aggressive feline animal when viewed from the front, but essentially all modern cars do. I want my rear lights to be shaped like, well, lights, not like abstract paintings. Etc
Kaibeezy 4y ago
See also: cars of Gattaca https://www.imcdb.org/m119177.html https://www.imcdb.org/m119177.html
bluedino 4y ago
The vehicles in The Fifth Element had a retro theme, but of course they flew. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cars_of_the_The_Fifth_Element_movie.jpg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cars_of_the_The_Fifth_E...

zelos 4y ago

The Ioniq 6 kind of looks like the C6 if you squint a bit.

avereveard 4y ago

The issue in part comes from not having a grille, so that the front looks empty and boring. They are filling that space the way they can, but a grille also saves a ton of heavy, expensive metal on the part. Cue the abundant plastic inserts in electric cars. Overall I think the tesla and kona have doing it well and Toyota has been overdoing it.

Gare 4y ago
Plastic inserts are also a nice way to hide radars and cameras.

_ph_ 4y ago

First of all, I would wonder what you consider a "normal car"? The older Citroën cars shown in the article were all "normal". But indeed ahead of their time. The shape of "normal" cars, which I assume are ICE cars for you has very much varied over the decades. In the late 80ies and early 90ies there were quite a few models designed strictly for good aerodynamics, later on the aerodynamic efficiency unfortunately dropped quite a bit. Recent years car designs are not very good in my eyes. To answer the question: a lot of the traditional car design comes from designing around combustion engines. They need cooling and more space than an electric motor. See for example the return to rear wheel drive, as this makes most sense with a tiny electric engine. The huge front space is basically only needed for crash safety. At least some cars offer a good frunk. Of course the shift to electric cars will lead to different designs. Aerodynamic becomes much more important, no big engine, but instead a large battery, but at differen places in the car. And of course a good bit of marketing. Beyond the technical needs, you want a new generation of cars also to look "new". Good design though combines new looks with the new technological requirements.

lloeki 4y ago
> I would wonder what you consider a "normal car" I think GP means that many EVs are visually designed to explicitly advertise they're EVs in extremely obvious, sometimes tacky ways by overusing some pop sci fi tropes (electricity is blue, polygons are futuristic...) Goes to the sound too, Renault Zoe emits a retrofuturistic drone that evokes all kinds of Star Wars hoverbikes and crafts. Some may look nice right now, challenging current mainstream design trends, some may not but turn out to look nice someday. Others are just annoying because they scream "look look I'm an EV" either for status symbol or brand recognition, which feels very artificial/superficial.
- gambiting 4y ago
  >>Goes to the sound too, Renault Zoe emits a retrofuturistic drone that evokes all kinds of Star Wars hoverbikes and crafts. I mean, that comes from a simple design question - how do you warn pedestrians in an audible way that one of these is nearby? My Volvo XC60 PHEV doesn't make any sound when being driven in EV mode, and people just don't hear it coming. You can pull up right behind someone(pedestrian) in a parking lot and they are completely oblivious there is a car behind them. Of course sound isn't the only thing pedestrians should rely on, but it is an actual problem - electric cars are just completely silent. My Volkswagen e-Up has a sound generator and it emits sound like a small ICE, but not quite - it's like uncanny valley of sound. Is that better than ZOE's futurisic sounds? I really don't know. But I do believe they should emit something.

gambiting 4y ago

There's plenty normal-looking EVs around. We have a Volkwagen e-Up and you can only tell it's electric by looking at the badge. It looks like a normal Up in every other aspect. Same with the likes of the Kia Niro, Hyundai Ioniq(not the Ioniq 5, I mean the sedan), I'd argue that the Audi E-Tron, E-Tron Q4, E-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan - they all look like completely normal cars. If you told me they have a combusion engine inside I'd believe you.