Sheet metal curving is probably cheaper than flat panels. A flat panel is wobbly, adding 3D curves to it can stiffen it significantly. A flat panel in any non-m

Sheet metal curving is probably cheaper than flat panels. A flat panel is wobbly, adding 3D curves to it can stiffen it significantly. A flat panel in any non-matte finish will also display any imperfections like mad (ever looked at the reflections on windows and noticed how uneven they are?), a curved surface is more forgiving. And using a matte finish isn’t a solution, that introduces a ton of other issues. > No need for massive torque and the batter should be upgradable Massive torque is just sort of the way these motors are. It’s not necessarily a big cost driver. And upgradable batteries sounds expensive to me. I do agree that people spend ridiculous amounts of money on cars though. But on the flip side… I’ve designed some larger (not quite car size, but pretty large) products, and boy do the costs add up quickly. I suspect that once you’re talking something as niche as a US road-legal minimalist electric vehicle you’ve killed your volumes, so 20K is probably way out of reach as a price target.