What Is a Bespoke EV Platform and Why Is It Better?

Virtually each mainstream car manufacturers person afloat electrical vehicles successful their lineups. However, while automakers don’t put a batch of accent connected this, EVs autumn into 2 categories: those that are built connected an existing level that nan shaper modified to return an electrical powertrain, and those that are built from nan crushed up to tally solely connected electrons.

There are galore manufacturers that person developed what successful nan manufacture is known arsenic a bespoke EV level aliases architecture, and this truth should play a deciding domiciled successful nan acquisition of a caller electrical model. Think of nan level arsenic an oversized skateboard that makes up nan bottommost portion of nan vehicle, and it includes nan battery, electronics, and motors.

On apical of nan platform, manufacturers tin trade a bid of bodies, and if it's specially designed for EVs, this holds respective important advantages. Let's analyse what they are and why they matter!

1. Better Use of Space

When designers and engineers travel up pinch a caller soul combustion motor model, they are constrained by nan placement of a large motor compartment that’s usually located successful nan beforehand of nan vehicle. The request to dedicate a important portion of nan disposable abstraction to nan motor intends they person to push nan rider compartment back, which will return distant from nan roominess.

This would stay existent for an EV built connected an ICE conveyance platform. Even though an electrical type of a combustion exemplary nary longer needs nan motor compartment since it doesn’t person an engine, utilizing a communal level forces engineers to support nan aforesaid layout moreover though it isn’t strictly needed.

When creating a caller electrical car connected a bespoke EV platform, manufacturers person overmuch much state to play astir pinch nan size and placement of nan rider compartment. This attack produces vehicles that, for nan aforesaid wheelbase (the region betwixt nan 2 axles) arsenic an ICE model, person bigger cabins pinch much room for passengers and cargo.

For instance, nan Volkswagen ID.3, which is nan electrical balanced of nan Golf hatchback, has akin levels of knee room to a Passat, which is simply a conveyance from nan adjacent size people up. This is acknowledgment to nan usage of nan modular MEB level that VW developed specifically for its compact EV lineup.

2. Front Trunk

Image Credit: Ford

If you’re not an avid EV fan, nan problem of electrical vehicles not having a beforehand retention compartment nether nan hood wherever nan motor utilized to beryllium isn’t a immense issue. However, arsenic you spot much bespoke EVs and comparison them to EVs built connected ICE platforms, you commencement to admit nan former’s amended usage of space.

While this isn’t a rule, bespoke EVs usually connection immoderate retention nether nan hood, while those built connected combustion car underpinnings don’t. One notable objection is the feature-packed Ford F-150 Lightning, which shares its underpinnings pinch nan combustion F-150 yet has a immense 14.1-cubic-foot frunk.

3. Bigger Batteries

Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz

Making an EV connected a dedicated level besides allows for bigger batteries to beryllium included. The EVs pinch nan biggest batteries and longest scope each person bespoke EV underpinnings. This is because engineers return into relationship nan request to person a immense artillery successful nan level of nan vehicle, while those who re-engineer an ICE level for EV usage will person to make do pinch nan already existing size constraints.

For instance, nan longest-range electrical sedan is nan Lucid Air, which has a real-world scope of up to 520 miles, was designed from nan onset arsenic an EV. This is acknowledgment to a monolithic 118 kWh artillery pack, which is bigger than astir different electrical sedan packs.

The BMW i7, which is the champion EV if you’re aft a limo-like experience, shares its CLAR (short for Cluster Architecture) level pinch nan fuel-burning 7 Series and astir different rear-wheel thrust models. Like nan Lucid, it besides has a large artillery pack, but it only has a usable capacity of 101 kWh, and it will only return nan i7 astir 320 miles connected 1 charge.

Another illustration is nan Genesis Electrified G80, which, successful spite of its somewhat confused name, is nan afloat electrical type of nan G80 combustion motor sedan. It has an moreover smaller artillery than nan BMW, 87.2 kWh, and comparably little range, pinch a 282-mile EPA rating.

4. Lower Weight

Image Credit: Lucid Motors

Another advantage of making EVs connected specially designed platforms is nan resulting vehicles’ little weight. Many of these EVs built connected an ICE level are noticeably heavier than a comparable bespoke EV of their size.

Take nan BMW i7. It weighs complete 5,820 pounds (2,640 kilograms), which is simply a batch moreover for a large and luxurious barge of its size. The gas-burning 7 Series equipped pinch nan largest disposable motor and all-wheel drive, nan 750i xDrive, is considerably lighter, pinch a weight of conscionable nether 4,500 pounds (2,040 kilograms).

Compare this to nan Lucid Air, which does person a somewhat smaller footprint than nan i7, but it does person a bigger (and heavier) battery, and it weighs astir 5,200 pounds (2,360 kg) successful a akin dual-motor configuration arsenic nan xDrive BMW.

Another illustration comes consecutive from BMW’s eternal rivals astatine Mercedes-Benz, whose EQS sedan is built connected a bespoke EV architecture (called nan EVA platform), and it weighs astir 5,540 pounds (2,515 kg), but it does person a very large 120 kWh artillery and fantabulous range.

5. Improved Safety

Image Credit: Euro NCAP

One of nan large advantages of buying a conveyance from Tesla, a shaper that has created each its EVs from scratch, is nan singular information of each vehicles successful nan range. All models, from the guidelines Model 3 to the flagship Model X SUV, person fantabulous information ratings, and this is courtesy of their usage of a bespoke EV platform.

With nan absence of a dense combustion motor up front, nan frontal area of nan conveyance is fundamentally hollow, and, successful nan arena of a frontal collision, location is nary consequence of nan motor being pushed into nan rider compartment.

This intends engineers tin attraction connected making nan full beforehand of nan conveyance a crumple zone, which allows for nan dissipation of nan monolithic forces that cars are subjected to successful an impact. If you look astatine clang trial footage of Tesla vehicles aliases different midsize bespoke EVs and comparison it to akin ICE models, you will announcement nan erstwhile protects passengers better. Vehicles for illustration nan Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2, Audi Q8 E-Tron, aliases Volkswagen ID.4 are each bespoke EVs pinch fantabulous clang protection ratings.

Repurposed ICE Cars Don’t Make nan Best EVs

Building electrical cars based connected existing gas-burning models is an illustration of really manufacturers effort to minimize nan costs of producing a lineup of electrical models. However, while this type of corner-cutting whitethorn person presented (financial) advantages astatine first, now that location are galore very talented bespoke EVs connected sale, nan limitations of those sharing underpinnings pinch ICE cars person go very noticeable, and specified vehicles are becoming little desirable.

If you’re successful nan marketplace for an EV, do your investigation to observe its root story, and you should for illustration 1 that was engineered from nan onset pinch artillery powerfulness successful mind. If you’re not judge an EV is correct for you, past possibly prime 1 of nan galore long-range plug-in hybrids that whitethorn beryllium a much suitable stepping chromatic for ICE conveyance owners.