Car makers are slowly but surely outlining their electric vehicle strategies.
Most interesting is the divergence between those favouring an electric-only range of cars and those opting to incorporate electric powertrains into existing models.
Volkswagen’s onslaught of ID electric concepts shows its commitment to throwing everything at an electric-only architecture on which it will base a family of all-electric models.
Volkswagen I.D. Crozz concept joins firm's electric line-up
At the other end of the spectrum are brands such as Citroën. Its boss, Linda Jackson, recently told Autocar that its electric plans — including an all-new EV due in 2020 — would be incorporated into existing models rather than standalone versions.
Which is wisest? The use of a single electric platform must make engineering infinitely easier, rather than heavily adapting existing architectures. But the obvious upside of offering electric variants of existing models is the equity of that model’s name. Aren’t you much more likely to buy a well-regarded model that just happens to have an electric powertrain rather than an unknown?
BMW pioneered EVs with its i brand, but it is now wising up to keeping all of its options open — surely the quickest path to electric sales success.
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EV have lots of opportunities
Also to improve aerodynamics, an EV requires a really smooth front, so the car needs a design that works without a front grille (like a classic Porsche 911).
Those thinks usually cannot be accomplished easily if an electric car shares the body with ICE models. That's the reason why the Hyundai Ionic electric looks kinda weird from the front.
Tesla recently announced that the upcoming Model Y won't even have a 12 V battery anymore, only high voltage. Another reason why EVs should not share a platform with ICE cars.
BMW haven't kept pace with the i3
The EV market is changing rapidly. Tesla have really shown that what the market wants is long-distance, capable all-round cars not 'Mega City Cars' like BMW envisaged.
If you look at the European sales figures of EVs one thing comes out: those that were designed from the ground-up as EVs sell better. BMW have been too slow to update their cars and too slow to get new products to market. I suspect when the Model 3 and e-Ampera come to market the i3's time will be up.
Rachel Burgess has a habit of
BMW will thus move the i range further up.