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Why the EVs still shaped like ICEs on the outside?
Meaning, generally look exactly like ICE cars.
Why did early automobiles in the 1890s and 1900s look like horse carriages without the horse? They were even called "Horseless carriages" for years.
People are more comfortable (i.e. will buy more of) things they are familiar with, especially to take over a job that's already been done for years. Practicality and safety come in a distant second, often for many ensuing years.
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I feel the main reason for design is for safety and not rocking the https://www.nhtsa.gov/ boat. Convential designs have more acceptance for those on the fence.
With 3D printing and design flexibility there could be some really fun and personalized vehicles. I expect more of this auto design differentiation in the future.
There will be a lot of pressure on profits, as car qty and usage may be decreasing. (not a bad thing). Many countries have serious dis-incentives for car ownership. (That would not include the state of California )
There are definitely some unconventional designs coming out, but a lot of people don't like them, just look at all the comments here. So a big reason not to go out on a limb with design/styling is that buyers may shun them.
a) aerodynamics...Ever notice that all cars now look like a melting bar of soap?
2)safety...Occupants should be as far away from the impact point at possible, ie-- in the middle of the vehicle
C) Logisitics/economics of the assembly line...EV models are often based on a corresponding, existing ICE model. It's very expensive to re-tool a factory for a new model. Horseless carriges looked like horse carriages because they were.
For safety, the engine compartment cannot be the end all be all of design though. They can put in a more sophisticated airbag for instance, and probably wont need all that space.
Airbags don't protect you from metal crushing into you - energy has to have SPACE to dissapate and an airbag works against things like whiplash, not metal.
Airbags don't protect you from metal crushing into you - energy has to have SPACE to dissapate and an airbag works against things like whiplash, not metal.
Right, but really, it's TIME that is important. The energy is 1/2mv^2, and the v has to go from v to 0. The more time it takes to dissapate the energy, the less damge done to the occupant...and the time involved is proportional to the space involved.
You still have to have space for an electric motor, motor controller, HVAC equipment, brake booster, master cylinder, fuse box, etc., etc., etc. You can put it behind you, or you can put it under you (except the batteries are already there) or you can put it out in front of you. Why not just put it out front, where everyone already expects it to be?
Why not just stick giant springs on the front? That will absorb a crash.
Back in college, did you by chance take Theoretical Mechanics?
I still remember the "Bomb Rocket." Imagine a space ship with a gigantic spring on the rear, with a big hemispherical "pusher plate" at the end of the spring, and you "explode an atomic bomb" behind the pusher plate. The energy from the blast compresses the giant spring, propelling the spaceship forward... and the whole thing oscillates as it goes through space.
And, of course, the exercise for the student was to derive the equations that describe the spacecraft's oscillating movements through space after each subsequent explosion of an atomic bomb to accelerate the whole thing.
You still have to have space for an electric motor, motor controller, HVAC equipment, brake booster, master cylinder, fuse box, etc., etc., etc. You can put it behind you, or you can put it under you (except the batteries are already there) or you can put it out in front of you. Why not just put it out front, where everyone already expects it to be?
The rationale for a cab over style is to have more internal usable volume for the external volume which essentially gives you more interior usable room for a smaller exterior package which is good for parking and maneuverability to go along with the usable interior volume. It also generally gives better visibility without the hood protruding out. Electric motor and motor controller are generally pretty small and can be put in a number of places, even in-wheel with a bit more unsprung weight, but possibly not that much more as electric motors often have fairly good power to weight ratios. There are advantages to such to go with drawbacks, and it's likely that there is some modicum of engineering for safety that can be done. The Canoo is somewhat a cab over design with a bit of space upfront and it's unlikely that they're making a vehicle that wouldn't pass safety tests. Also on the somewhat side are Rivian's work vans being delivered to Amazon for use right now.
The skateboard design that a lot of EVs are pretty well-suited for cab over designs, but there is a question of whether or not the market will take these up. We'll have to wait for the Canoo and the VW minibus to see if there's actually a market for such though ostensibly quite a few of the EV platforms can probably make this work.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 11-23-2021 at 08:36 AM..
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