WHEELS & WATER
YOUR FUTURE ON FOUR WHEELS The sky is the limit for new electric vehicle technology.
WORDS CHRIS NIXON THE FAST-LOOMING era of electric vehicles will bring the most profound changes in personal transportation since the arrival of the horseless carriage in the late 19th century. Some of those changes might be unwelcome or controversial, but they’re coming anyway. I’m among enthusiasts who regret that new petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles will be almost things of the past in barely a decade from now. We’ll have to hang on dearly to the ones we’ve got in order to enjoy the visceral delights of motoring as we know it now and, I suspect, for some niche commercial uses such as farming. Meanwhile, arguments about re-charging from coal-generated electricity supplies, lack of charging points and range anxiety will peter out inevitably as technology progresses. And beyond that, I admit the outlook is exciting.
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– Issue 86
Apart from the benefits of economy and low emissions, the biggest opportunity with EVs is design freedom. Bulky piston engines, gearboxes, differentials and fuel tanks – and the limitations on where they can be placed within four wheels – don’t exist for EVs. Electric motors are more compact, gearing is managed mainly by precise power input and the shape of batteries can be moulded like plasticene for optimum fit and weight distribution. Heaven for designers, who are appearing with many wonderful concepts as they look into our motoring future. Typically of the motor industry, where innovation starts at the high-priced top end and trickles down to the cheap runabouts, these concepts are glamorous imaginations of the future for the very rich.
