1 comment
California air regulators recently voted to ban the sale of all new gas cars by 2035 and set interim targets to phase the cars out.
The move to switch to zero-emission vehicles is the state’s biggest move so far to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change. So what’s next for electric cars?
Eric Noble, Associate Professor of Transportation Design at ArtCenter College of Design shared how the new policy would change the overall car design trends and how different electric vehicles (EVs) will look compared to gasoline-powered vehicles.
Currently, there are more than 25 automotive design studios in Southern California alone and according to Noble, they are working on EVs.
“EVs are about 50% of everything they’re working on, which is saying something since EVs are only 5% of current sales – this is a huge pivot,” Noble said.
Electric vehicles account for 5.6 percent of new-car sales between April and July, according to the latest quarterly report from Cox Automotive, an industry consulting firm.
Design
Despite the anticipated adoption of new technologies by several manufacturers with the approved shift to EVs, Noble believes aesthetics won’t suffer.
“The introduction of technology, at any level, will never diminish humans’ desire for beautiful objects. Design has never been as important as it will be with EVs.”
When it comes to the design, EVs will tend to be longer and a little lower than gas-powered cars, said Noble. This is because of the very large EV batteries, which must be mounted beneath the floor of the entire passenger compartment.
EVs are also anticipated to be larger than the gas-powered cars because it needs more room inside to house these batteries.
“EVs will evolve from smaller, cheaper car models like the Nissan Leaf, to larger more expensive SUVs and trucks like the full-size Ford Lightning,” Noble added.
Noble said EVs will also have lower rooflines because it needs to be more aerodynamic since wind resistance is a mortal enemy of electric vehicle highway range.
Materials and Assembly
Because EVs are less sensitive to weight than gas-powered cars, Noble said designers are seeing lesser use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber or even aluminum on upcoming EVs.
With the luxurious prices of EVs, additional features including advanced driver assistance systems and other types of semi-autonomous systems are also likely for upcoming units.
Noble believes the emergence of EVs will also change how manufacturers build cars.
“The way cars are assembled, particularly the joining of the powertrain – engine or motor/battery – to the body system, will change some in car factories.”
“Overall, though, this is just an evolution of the automobile factory as it has existed since Henry Ford and his Model T car factories will remain huge boxes with long assembly lines flanked by thousands of parts staged for installation by workers or robots.”
As climate change has forced the creation of the new policy, Noble said he is also seeing a possible switch to the utilization of more sustainable materials for EVs.
To date, he said roughly 15% of the materials used for most modern cars including carpet, headliner, seat covers and cushioning foam are not recyclable.
By 2035, designers expect cars to be closer to 95% recyclable, EVs or not, said Noble.
“We’re searching for more sustainable battery metals, of course, and also fiercely developing sustainable interior materials for all types of vehicles.”
The California Air Resources Board’s new rules would not impact used vehicles, allowing them to stay on the roads.
Officials said that the ban on gas cars from 2035 will not prevent people from using gas-powered vehicles or apply to the used car market. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the measure “a groundbreaking, world-leading plan” that “will lead the revolution towards our zero-emission transportation future.”
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
