EV INTERIORS
“We’re going to offer an
electric car with a much
larger interior than we think
anyone else is doing”
Julian Thomson, director of design, Jaguar
arc of a rainbow. “The
advantage of this ‘one bow’
design is you end up with like
really straight, fast lines that
are very signifi cant for
Mercedes, but also make the
vehicle look low, sleek, e cient
and aerodynamic.” In reality
Wagener says the EQS is
slightly taller than the current
S-Class, but doesn’t appear so
due to the longer wheelbase, which in turn has
the benefi t of off ering more interior space than
the long wheelbase S-Class, and also because
of its generous 24in rims, which ensure a great
wheel-to-body relationship.
Jaguar’s new design director Julian Thomson
says the brand’s forthcoming all-electric XJ
limo will feature similarly large wheels to help
proportions. As there’s been no concept to
preview its arrival in 2020, Thomson wouldn’t
quite reveal all but expect lightweight
aluminum in abundance and other tricks
besides: “We have some technology
solutions. I won’t tell
you what they are, but luckily
electric cars do tend to weigh a bit
due to the heavy extra batteries
so they need huge wheels and tires
so you can off set certain things.
But I think we’re going to off er an
electric car with a much larger
interior than we think anyone else
is doing and much larger than our
current XJ.”
106 // January 2020 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
These varied approaches to EV interior design,
born from a mixture of range-extending
necessity to packaging and aesthetic
opportunity, have the potential to reduce
weight, improve recyclability and create more
space while still retaining an appealing design.
And as more future vehicles become electriconly
from the start – rather than adaptations
of existing combustion-engined cars – and
increasingly autonomous, negating the need
for traditional dashboards, driver displays and
eventually steering wheels too, this sort of EV
design ingenuity is only set to increase. As
Volvo’s design VP, Robin Page enthuses: “The
next few years for any interior designer will
probably be the most exciting time since we
converted from coaches to cars.”
“The next few years for
any interior designer will
probably be the most exciting”
Robin Page, VP of design, Volvo Cars
b 5. Audi’s e-tron GT
concept is based on a
fl at-fl oor architecture
with its battery placed
between the front and
rear axle to create more
cabin and leg space
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