Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular and affordable as technology advances and environmental awareness grows. But what are the latest trends in electric vehicle design that make them more efficient, attractive, and convenient? In this article, you will learn about some of the most innovative features and developments in the EV industry.
One of the main challenges of EV design is to increase the battery capacity and performance without compromising the weight, space, and cost of the vehicle. Some of the latest trends in battery technology include solid-state batteries, which use solid electrolytes instead of liquid ones, and offer higher energy density, faster charging, and lower fire risk. Another trend is wireless charging, which allows EVs to recharge their batteries without plugging in, using electromagnetic induction or resonance. Wireless charging can be integrated into parking lots, roads, or even home garages.
Electric vehicles present a big opportunity to question older design and user requirements. A big opportunity is to work back from what a vehicle is expected to do best and right-size the vehicle for that purpose. This alone can dramatically reduce battery requirements to modest sizes, saving weight, space and cost of the vehicle. When a new technology arrives, it is important to not mindlessly replicate old choices but to leverage the strengths which the new electric vehicle technology brings.
Another way to improve the efficiency and performance of EVs is to reduce their weight and drag. This can be achieved by using lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, aluminum, or magnesium for the body and chassis of the vehicle. These materials are stronger and more durable than steel, but also lighter and more aerodynamic. They can also reduce the noise and vibration of the vehicle, enhancing the comfort and safety of the passengers. Lightweight materials can also help to extend the range and battery life of EVs, as they require less energy to accelerate and maintain speed.
We see EV revolution limited to Powertrain area only. This I think, is overseeing the fact that other verticals of a vehicle equally need further R&D in order to reduce its weight for best output of the vehicle. Questions we should ask: Are we re-working our design to make body, interiors, chassis more light weight? ..We see a trend that physical switches are being replaced by on-screen switches. Also very recently, we learnt that Tesla used 48V systems (in its Cyber-truck) to minimize wire sizes, ultimately reducing the wire weight. Summing up: Innovation in Lightweight materials in other sections of vehicle, equally need attention in order to design most the efficient EV.
EVs are not only powered by electricity, but also by data and intelligence. Smart features are becoming more common and sophisticated in EV design, offering convenience, connectivity, and customization to the drivers and passengers. Some of the smart features include voice and gesture control, biometric authentication, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and self-parking. Some EVs can also communicate with each other and with the infrastructure, creating a network of connected and autonomous vehicles. Smart features can also enhance the entertainment and comfort of the passengers, with features such as ambient lighting, mood music, and personalized settings.
EVs being able to power themselves on or from remote command are perfect for dealing with Indian summer conditions. A vehicle could be set up to have advance notice of use and turn on the air conditioning a few minutes before passengers get in the car. This simple feature is very effective for passenger comfort.
Technology is changing so fast, that users want to elevate their experience from past in all fields of life. When a person see newer smartphones every year, hi-tech toys, watches, other innovative machines etc. They want to extrapolate that newness feel in cars as well. This gives rise to car makers providing customers what they actually want. Technology in convenience, Connected & Wow features are need of the day and car companies cannot just think car just as a mobility machine. That makes me remind the word I saw in Tokyo's motor show: 'Think Beyond Mobility'
EVs are not only designed to be efficient and smart, but also to be sustainable and eco-friendly. Sustainable design is a trend that aims to reduce the environmental impact of EVs throughout their life cycle, from production to disposal. Some of the sustainable design practices include using recycled or renewable materials, such as bioplastics, bamboo, or hemp, for the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Another practice is to use solar panels or wind turbines to generate electricity for the vehicle or to feed it back to the grid. Sustainable design can also involve creating circular economy models, where EVs and their components can be reused, repaired, or recycled.
Electric vehicles are very capable of operating for much longer life and distance than their ICE counterparts. This is a huge benefit for sustainability and will also encourage an ecosystem of 2nd and 3rd use of vehicles past their primary use. This will also create a vast distributed network of local EV mechanics specialists who will serve their local customers quickly and at reasonable cost.
The most important vehicle measuring metric for traffic congestion and commute times is vehicle width. The thinner the vehicle the better the throughput, and the less materials necessary to manufacture the car. Since the vast majority of car commuting only transports one or two passengers, electric #ThinMobility short narrow-track tandem-seated vehicles offer solo and duo occupants cars far more sustainable commuting. By not hauling rarely used passenger side-seats, short narrow-track electric cars will substantially reduce traffic congestion, commute times, collisions, street pollution, and the environmental and economic costs of induced demand.
Modular design is a trend that allows EVs to be customized and adapted to different needs and preferences. Modular design involves creating EVs that can be easily assembled and disassembled, with interchangeable parts and components. This can enable the drivers and passengers to change the size, shape, color, or function of their vehicle according to their mood, occasion, or purpose. For example, a modular EV can be transformed from a compact car to a spacious van, or from a sporty coupe to a family sedan. Modular design can also facilitate the maintenance and repair of EVs, as damaged or outdated parts can be replaced or upgraded.
Electric drive trains require far less components and complexity compared to legacy internal combustion engine vehicles. This will pave the way for modularity of components. This makes for far higher serviceability at component or aggregate level, quicker repairs and distributed vehicle maintenance services compared to the past car dealership & service center. This is great news for longer life of vehicles, circularity and efficient resource use.
The EV industry is constantly evolving and innovating, creating new possibilities and challenges for electric vehicle design. Some of the future trends that are emerging or expected to emerge in the near future include flying cars, which use electric propulsion and vertical take-off and landing technology, and underwater cars, which use electric motors and propellers to navigate the oceans. Another future trend is the integration of EVs with smart homes and smart cities, creating a seamless and sustainable mobility system. Future trends can also involve the development of new materials, such as graphene, nanotubes, or metamaterials, that can enhance the performance, durability, and functionality of EVs.
Future is but obvious 'Software defined vehicles'. The core of any vehicle would be the 'experience' it provides defined by its base software. The architecture would remain same and only top layer experience could be OEM specific. Just like smartphones-(All of them use android, but have their own unique upper layer interface to differentiate user experience . Secondly, The features in a car could be 'subscription based'. (with a base common hardware) Assume, you want cruise control feature. You subscribe to this feature and on receipt of the payment, the OEM updates your car's ECU, BCM and infotainment etc. by OTA(Over the air). Vroom.. you car is equipped with this feature now.
Future trends will include purpose-built vehicles for particular personal or business requirements. The trend of making a single vehicle perform sub-optimally at many tasks will give way to highly efficient vehicles for single or handful of use cases.
#ThinMobility weather and road protected electric vehicles, defined as EVs one meter wide with supporting lane and parking space access is a classification with growing influence and importance. A fleet of Carver taxis on the island of Malta is operational. City Transformer announced manufacturing plans. Commuter Cars is upgrading the Tango’s ballasted battery management system, and the leaning, four-wheeled Komma prototype images are gaining interest. By eliminating the transport of empty car side-seats, electric thinmobility substantially reduces traffic congestion, commute times, collisions, street pollution, and the environmental and economic costs of induced demand.