What can specialist EV designers learn from Tesla, BMW and Chevrolet?

12th May 2019  |  Electric vehicle

More and more, specialist vehicles are becoming electric. The snowballing market, tipped to see significant growth over the coming decades, is likely to drive innovations in specialist EV design. 

The EV markets biggest name, Tesla, has recently thrown its hat in the ring with the Tesla semi – a Class 8 semi-trailer truck intended for the specialist market. Tesla’s swing, however, is the first of many, with plenty more automakers set to contribute their offering to the market.

According to DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook 2018 forecast, by 2047, 50% of the globes heavy vehicles will be electrically driven, and in Europe, 80% of public buses will be electric by 2030.

There is a huge variety of specialist vehicles types, each with their own unique design features. Electrification, therefore, is a challenging proposal. The question is: ‘how exactly will automakers go about building these fully electric, Co2 busting equivalents?’

There are multiple design considerations that need to be taken into account when dealing with specialist vehicles; they have to be more hardy to rough conditions, they might need to pick stuff up, carry heavy loads or operate under extreme temperatures.

Most likely, is that the design of a specialist vehicle will differ from that of a consumer car. Internally, however, there will be plenty of similarities; even when it comes to fundamental components such as the battery and power inverter, or even the layout of the vehicle.

Understanding where EV design has been most successful in the consumer car market and applying this knowledge to the specialist market will lead to more effective specialist EV design.

The Tesla Model 3, Chevrolet Volt and BMW i3 are three of the most popular consumer EVs on the market today. While all three are fully electric, each is designed differently and features distinct internal parts. Each vehicle provides a useful blueprint for how a specialist EV might be designed. Download the guide below for an in-depth look inside these three consumer EVs and an analysis of their core design features.

Free Download  Battery design in the Chevrolet Bolt, BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3 Download Now