Electric cars that come with extra space
Why purpose-built electric cars offer more interior space than retrofitted models.
With an increasing number of new electric cars coming to market an additional benefit of these new-age vehicles is the fact many are designed to offer more interior space and legroom.
There are currently two main types of electric cars being manufactured – those based on an existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and retrofitted to an electric powertrain, such as the Hyundai Kona EV, and those that are a ground-up EV designs based on a dedicated ‘skateboard’ platform, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
The skateboard platform is a flat chassis with four wheels that accommodates the traction battery and electric motors. This design has several advantages for the vehicle operator.
First, having the battery pack down low means a lower centre of gravity, which equates to better vehicle dynamics (handling).
Second, being specifically designed to accommodate the EV traction battery and driveline frees up more space for passengers.
This is noticeable in the lack of a transmission tunnel running down the centre of the vehicle, meaning greater cabin space, particularly for the middle-rear passenger.
The absence of a combustion engine and related components also means the cabin of a dedicated EV can be moved further forward and stretched during the design phase, creating a larger interior space in a vehicle that has the same exterior dimensions as an ICE vehicle.
A third benefit of a skateboard chassis is it can be used for several different vehicles with just the upper body panels, or ‘top hat’, changing for different models, thus reducing development costs.
A skateboard platform can also be easily modified if a manufacturer wants to offer a front-wheel-drive, a rear-wheel drive, or an all-wheel drive model, again saving time and money in development.
Another manufacturing upside of the skateboard platform is the chassis and body can be assembled separately and then combined towards the end of the build.
All these benefits are important in making EVs cheaper to manufacture and to improving their affordability, which is one of the key challenges to achieving greater EV take-up.
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