Everyone is talking about the new Slate trucklette, what with it being the new battery hotness and all, and I get it. I dig it, even. It is indeed a cool little machine, and I’m 100% with Jason on everything he opined this morning about its crank-window coolness.
It’s also got me thinking about what my idea of an ideal EV is, if only for me and only me.
While I have tremendous respect for what Tesla did with the Roadster and even more so the Model S to establish that EVs needn’t be weird little pods for ecology nerds and could instead just be good (great, even) regular cars that happen to be electric, I have to confess that I actually have a soft spot for the weird pod concept.
Take the Aptera in the top graphic, for example. I suspect it’s just too bizarre to succeed, but I love how it goes Full Jetsons as an aggressively aero teardrop-shaped two-seater rolling on three wheels. More of that, please.
I see myself using an EV most frequently to commute solo to an office (I work from home and hope to never have a commute again, but go with me on this). As such, I don’t need 300+ miles of range, and I certainly don’t want to lug around all that battery weight, either – or pay for it. A mere 100 miles of range would be plenty to get me around during the week, with a nightly top-off in the garage at hole.
Room for myself and a passenger plus a couple of carry-on bags would be all the space I need in my ideal EV, and I wouldn’t say no to a single-seater. Make it lightweight, fun, and futuristic. One can certainly go too small (and/or narrow, see below), but I love the idea of a driving what feels like a personal fighter jet on wheels.
But then again, I’m a bit of a weirdo. Let’s hear from you! Please, Tell Us About Your Ideal Electric Car.
Top graphic image: Aptera
First things first: I hope you get a guest article out of Toecutter on this subject.
My dream EVs:
1 – the Slate pickup, as-is (which I always meant to build for myself)
2 – EREV 3/4T pickup with 8′ bed (which I couldn’t afford)
3 – 10+ kW flyweight e-supermoto (available but not street-legal)
If the Slate had a range extender, that would be pretty close to ideal really. I like how basic it can be, but that the potential exists to add options and customize things if you want to. No EV is ever going to be a one-car solution for me, but I’m never going to be a one-car person, so that’s fine. I would want it to be something I could daily drive but also take on longer trips, and the EV-only range isn’t there with the Slate.
Generally though, 100ish EV mile range is enough if it has a range extender. I don’t want a bunch of controls in a touchscreen, especially really dumb things like vent controls or glove box openers. I’d like something small-ish too, which I know isn’t easy when you need to cram a big battery somewhere, but I want all these hatchback-shaped EVs to be like 2/3 the size they actually are.
My Chevy Volt, but with the range extender swapped out for about 200 miles more range.
Also maybe with the beltline lowered a tiny bit so my arm is more comfortable hanging out the window. I wouldn’t mind a bit more power but it’s not necessary.
It has just enough screen for Android Auto, everything else on buttons, PRNDL shift lever, it’s a compact car and not an SUV, it’s exactly what I want to be driving for the foreseeable future, I’d just want it to be all-electric.
Volt owner here. I hope to god the new Bolt is an extension of the Volt bodyline and size. I’m assuming it won’t be, but a 280+ mi. range in a small hatchback would be perfect.
Everyone I talk to about it says “Well just get a Model 3 then!” as if switching from a conventional style vehicle to a fancy iPad with wheels is similar in any way.
Even, like, I like the Hyundai IONIQ vehicles, but I don’t like the column twist shifter as much, I don’t like the paddle shifter regen select as much as L and regen-on-demand, I don’t like capacitive touch buttons (though they’re moving away from that). The newer IONIQ 6 looks a bit worse and still doesn’t have a hatch, just a trunk. And they’re some of the most “normal” EVs out there.
1970 Chevelle Wagon with 55-60kWh pack and 800v charging architecture and a modern HVAC. I like red with black stripes but blue with white is cool too.
I am curious if the diesel/electric hybrid setup that Edison Motors is developing could be successfully miniaturized into a class car friendly format. Right now, the weight of the batteries would probably mess with the feel of older vehicles. I have put some serious though into doing it for my 1970 Buick Skylark.
I just think of older vehicles that weren’t known for their driving dynamics or engines but look great. Those are perfect candidates for EV swapping. The land yachts are my first thought.
I have seen some British and EU companies’ you tube videos of old car ev swaps. The old beetle being a easy one.
For sure, the suspension designs/chassis really weren’t set up for modern handling/tires/speeds. Also hard to drive a big old car getting high single digit mpg. I’m looking forward to when they get the energy storage issues figured out and batteries can get smaller while range increases.
Slate and Aptera are both very high on my list. I put in the reservation for Slate this morning, and if pricing stays affordable I will go for it. If the Aptera ever makes it I will be incredibly tempted, but that one I would have to look into more as I don’t think I can justify having two 2 seaters, and I don’t think it looks like it would be fun enough to replace the sports car but we’ll see.
Wheelbase under 10 feet, curb-weight under 3500, easily replaceable battery and a 90s retro-futuristic design.
Oh to live in Asia/Europe…
You mean the Microlino?
https://microlino-car.com/en-ch/microlino
A no BS small cheap one. Like the Toyota Aygo, just as an EV..
The Slate, with an EREV platform and 6000lbs of towing capacity. That’s it, that’s the spec.
I’ll take one of those wrapped in blue please.
I’ll wrap mine like a harlequin volkswagen.
I’m thinking pull the panels, which looks crazy easy, and actually paint it as a halequin. I hate wraps, they cost nearly as much as paint, and only last 3-5 years.
This sounds like a job for PLASTIDIP.
Ooh that’s a great idea. Cheap, temporary, but can look good if done well.
I’m also joking (mostly, at least I think I am joking? Am I joking??) about painting the Yugo as a Harlequin, so I might try this out sooner than later
I thought they did that organically?
What you said, but with another foot of bed.
An all electric Toyota Sienna with easily removable seats for the second and third row. Stowing them in the floor probably wont work with an EV battery. I must be able to haul a 4×8 sheet of anything, flat on the floor with the seats out. I’m going to be doing some minor drywall and major flooring work in a few years (once the kiddos are done trashing the existing floor) so hardware store capability is a must.
Range? 300+ miles EPA is OK. 250 miles at highway speed is also fine.
DC fast charging? J3400 socket with 10% to 80% in under 15 minutes. Most likely 800V architecture.
The ID.Buzz meets most of those specs, but that price is insane. Get it under $50k before any incentives and I’m a buyer.
This reminded me of the only Chinese electric car I’ve actually wanted
https://globalchinaev.com/post/zeekr-mix-is-a-bold-family-mpv-spun-off-from-waymos-robotaxi
Just make an electric car, that has only just enough power, to extend range.
I don’t need a 4-door sedan to do 0-60 in 3 seconds. I just need it to get me on the freeway at the same speed as everyone else. If I want a high performance electric, I’ll get a track day car.
Where’s our modern day Electric Geo Metro? Something surprisingly cheap, compact, and had just enough power to get by in exchange for 60+ MPG. (Which was massive at the time.)
If you have enough tractive effort to pass gradeability tests with a fixed reduction, you can accelerate at 0.55g from a stop. If you have enough current carrying capacity to have useful fast charging, you can maintain that acceleration up past 60 mph.
So no matter what, you’re getting 0-60 in 5 seconds or so. I’d rather design around 0-60 in 4 seconds and avoid the compromises of either slower or faster cars.
The only reason an electric car would have low power would be an inefficient motor coupled to a low range battery. This is why modern EVs all do around 8 seconds or under. My Ford Ranger Electric does 0-60 in the teens, has only 95 horsepower, 50 miles of range, and is just slightly more efficient than the Hummer EV, my Bolt with 200 horsepower, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, and 260 miles of range is twice as efficient, the Bolt is the modern Geo Metro.
Honda Insight Gen 1 but electric. If it could achieve 600 miles per charge like the gas version while maintaining the same footprint, that would be my dream.
This would be cool!
Or if they would make an EV VW XL1
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_1-litre_car
I’m going to try to imagine my ideal electric car from what is possible today, rather than go into science fiction territory.
Right now, I drive a Honda Prologue, which is the “okayist” EV I can presently afford.
Body-wise, I miss having a third row seat like I had in the Atlas. But, I also miss having non-carpeted flooring and the simple reconfiguring of a Honda Element. So, I need something mini-van-ish, comfortable, but not with all the treatments of a living room on wheels. I want to haul my family, and I want to haul live sound equipment that’s been doing outdoor events in all kinds of weather. Yeah – I can’t afford two vehicles for this. I want one. Also 8″ of ground clearance, please. And sliding doors because this will be a wide vehicle and we will need to get in and out in a parking lot.
Range / performance-wise, ballpark 300 miles is actually fine. Of course, I wouldn’t complain about more, but if it can charge fast enough, it’s still road-trip worthy. I’m looking for two motors / AWD, 0-60 in faster than 8 seconds. I think this is possible, or just on the cusp of it, for the body style I want.
Feature-wise, physical HVAC, proper media controls on the wheel, a touch screen integrated into the dash nicely and not sticking onto it like an afterthought, sunroof/panoramic, the usual tech packages…
You know, something like the slate, but bigger and in van form has potential.. I could get the upgrades I want and ditch the carpeting and other sorts of trim that would just break from heavy speakers and road cases being loaded in and out.
Pretty much the Slate with a solar array on the roof. Given my needs, I’d probably never have to plug it in.
That said, I’ve got a camper that requires decent tow vehicle, and at this point EV isn’t that (though a Ramcharger or Lightning with a range extender could fill that role, along with fulfilling any long distance travel needs), so I’m looking at it as one half of a two car garage (three if you count the Miata).
My ideal electric car is just a harder way of asking what my ideal car is and for that there is no one answer. For daily commuting, my Chevy Bolt is basically perfect. Enough room for a family (or even four adults) reasonable range (~200 miles or about 170 in freezing conditions) to run around town even if you forget to charge for a day or two, and enough technology (360 cameras are awesome) without going overboard.
For a road trip car about 300 miles of guaranteed range with an 800V architecture and 300+ kW charging would be great. Throw in a decent ride, comfortable cabin, and a suspension that absorbs the miles all with enough room in the back for the tent, cooler, camp stove, etc. and/or collection of luggage and you have a winner. For a truck, something like a kei truck with 100 miles of range would be cool for the random run to a lumber yard or big box store.
Honestly? Probably the form factor of a Volvo 240 wagon. Plenty of space for batteries. Give me 300 miles of range, green exterior on tan interior. Make it sub 40k (doesn’t need to be a Volvo but function like one) and I’d buy it tomorrow (even though I probably shouldn’t).
I have no plans to buy an EV, but if someone dares to make something somewhat reasonable in price that I actually would want, I’m not against it.
Price: 16-18K
Features: About on par with the Slate, but I do like power windows; and I don’t want any ADAS features at all.
Form Factor: Four Doors
Range: 150 miles would be more than enough for 90% of my use cases
Connectivity: NONE just let me use my phone, and spec my own infotainment system from the aftermarket without breaking anything in the thing.
I’d probably spring for a power window upgrade on the driver side. The passenger can keep cranking.
This is the only problem I have with crank windows. I want to be able to roll all the windows down from the driver’s seat. I might be able to reach the front passenger window (I could back when I had an Accent a long while ago, but that was a very narrow car), but I definitely can’t reach the rear windows.
Fair point!
Same, I enjoy driving with all the windows down at surface road speeds and then rolling them up on the freeway, having to get out and do that is annoying.
My ideal EV is a a mid-size extended cab pickup with a 6 foot bed that can go 200 miles between charges at 70 mph and recharge in under 10 minutes at a readily available charger.
I think there is a reasonably good chance my range and charging goal will be reached in the next decade (a lot of EVs can already go 200 miles on the highway, so it is mostly an issue of charger availability and charging speed). I’m far less confident any manufacturer will release an EV pickup that is not a crew cab/short bed.
I like what Monceau is doing with vintage R107 SLs and W111 Coupes & Cabriolets, and what Everrati is doing with vintage Porsches, Land/Range Rovers, Pagodas, GT40s and Rolls Royces…
My ideal is taking a cool vintage ICE-mobile – preferably a convertible – and converting it to EV.
Tho Genesis’ X Convertible Concept is quite compelling – I wish it, alongside the Coupe and Speedium would have gone into production.
Intermeccanica did a pretty cool EV 356 replica a while back. Given how the technology has progressed, I imagine there would be improvements in performance and range. https://intermeccanica.com/portfolio/2017-eroadster/
An opulent Cadillac sedan built on the Hummer/Silverado platform, and using its battery.
Assuming reasonable efficiency of 3-3.5 mi/kWh, that would give an EPA range of 600-700 miles from 205 kWh in ideal conditions, which would cover my 500 miles in 0 degrees F requirement.
Don’t know what’s up with the Cadillac Celestiq these days, but definitely the opulent Cadillac EV you’re looking for, with the Rolls/Bentley expected price tag also.
The Celestiq has less range than budget Hyundais.
It may be nice inside, but it’s a commuter, not a road trip car.
A streamlined body on the Hummer battery would give real range at reasonable cost. The opulence is just to justify it to myself, but isn’t actually needed in real life.
Aaahh ok. I hadn’t paid much attention to its range numbers
Like as a modern de Ville? That would be great to see, a nice highway cruiser, all that battery weight letting it have a nice float suspension to eat up the bumps.
I would want a cheap NEW (not an old leaf with old tech and an old worn out battery) EV that would be a city car, small cheap manual everything and very little maintenance to be a errand runner and drive to work car. So my jeep and my wife’s dog event can sit in the garage for our hobbies. I would want is cheep enough to be a third car with no ICE repair and maintenance costs. Something like a EV 1st gen Rabbit or Fit.
If not that then an EREV where I can overland or backcountry trail ride SUV where if I am days from a charging station the ICE can get me home. (new Scout??)
I’d buy an Elio tomorrow.
Basically a BMW E46 that happens to be electric powered and gets 300 miles of range.
Make it a wagon and you’ve got a deal.
EV the first: A Lucid Gravity, but as a PHEV version for ~$75k with less need for opulent luxury. Clearly 90% of these three-row SUV and crossover designers have never seen what children do to the interiors.EV the second: A rebooted Chevy Volt, redone as a wagon (edit: Or similar to what TheNewt said, a Kia K4 hatch in PHEV format. Something along those lines as a semi-sporty commuter car)
Take the KIA K4 hatch and put in on the Hyundai/KIA EV platform. That’s it really. I’ve been very impressed with what Hyundai has been able to do in the EV space and a non-SUV wagon EV from them would be fantastic.
Honestly, a slightly lifted station wagon (Not a Crossover) with some decent rally suspension and some skid plates. 350 miles of range would suffice. Closest thing I can get to this is the Mach-E Rally. A Volvo V60 crosscountry would be cool with some turbofan wheels.
An electric Ford Maverick would be pretty rad if the price was low and the range was high. Though, I struggle with the idea of a fully electric truck as I tow a small trailer into the mountains and re-fueling with gas is easier to do with a jerry can.