Cars

How batteries will shape car design

By 2022-10-11T11:44:00

5-Cadillac-Halo-Concept-InnerSpace

Electric skateboards are an interim step to battery-chassis-body integration and the implications for car designers will be enormous. New packaging designs are possible and old ones will be renewed. Car Design News’ Karl Smith investigates the near future 

It goes without saying that the type and configuration of the powertrain of an automobile goes a long way in determining its packaging, proportion, stance and interior configuration. Every automotive designer above an introductory class design knows this.

For decades, this truism was discussed in terms of internal combustion engines, but since the turn of the century, the conversation has broadened to include electric powertrains, which also promise to dominate the conversation in the coming decades.

It is a remarkable transformation, occurring with great swiftness and, given the climate change emergency, a palpable urgency. There is lots to debate here- batteries types, various battery cell configurations, motors, and more. But opportunities specific to the design of interiors often lie with the arrangement of batteries.

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