For me I’d totally go for a VW Beetle Convertible if it had the same sort of range the Bolt does and has provision for rapid charging. Also I sometimes wish GM had a Bolt version of the Colorado. Again with the same range as the Bolt.
Lada Niva, I guess the modern equivalent would be a dirt cheap Bollinger. But realistically I just want an EV station wagon with damn good range. Mazda 6 or similar size wagon would be great.
Subaru Crosstrek first came to mind, but what I'd really like is a small electric pickup. Something the size of the 2004 Tacoma, with extended cab and 4-wheel drive.
Classic VW Beetle. I saw a news report yesterday that said they were still making new ones in Mexico. According to the report, I guess the very last one will roll off the assembly line today. However, Googling a bit, I see that wasn't the classic Beetle, but the reboot version.
Here are two ways to look at it. First is do you want a car with the exterior (shell and most of the interior) the same but the engine transmission etc are re engineered to accommodate batteries and motors etc. In other words, the platform remains the same and to a driver or rider, the external look and the placement of seats, controls etc. do not change. The major changes will be in places that are not directly visible from outside or inside the car. The second way is only the exterior shell (framework), looks similar to a VW Beetle or a Corvette or whatever. Everything else will be redesigned, from ground up. So from a distance it looks like a Beetle, as you get closer you may notice some small variances and once you get inside, everything is different. Now both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Once you constrain the designer, the more difficult and less efficient things are as opposed to building everything from ground up. I would really not recommend either but suggest a totally new BEV platform So the question I have is. do you want 1) Same look and to extent possible, feel inside and outside, or 2) Similar outside, different inside? More directly a BEV MAZDA 6 or something that looks like Mazda 6.
In my case, I just want a small, capable 4WD pickup with king cab (not four doors, thank you). Very happy to see one from any brand and not-terrible styling.
I completely agree. I've been disappointed that we have not, as yet, seen any radical new designs in a production EVs; new designs taking advantage of the freedom from the constraints of having to have a huge gasoline engine and all its Rube Goldberg kludges* under a long hood at the front of the car, and a gas tank at the rear. The heck with merely making the nose of a gasmobile design a bit stubbier, like the BMW i3 or the Chevy Bolt. I wanna see something as radically different as the "Spinner" from Blade Runner! Of course, that's rather off-topic for the subject of this thread. ------- *By "Rube Goldberg kluge", I mean all the accessories that an ICEngine needs to keep itself from exploding, melting or tearing itself apart, or deafening the neighborhood; kludges such as a water jacket, water pump, oil pump, muffler, etc. Not to mention the catalytic converter, which only slightly reduces the amount of pollution coming from the vehicle!
If they made an electric Polaris slingshot I'd consider buying one to drive to the local coffee shop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I want a hot hatch. The Bolt is just about perfect but the charge speed and janky interior are a real put off. Plus it doesn’t really have great handling. In the Bolt’s favor the new interior is a big upgrade. The Kona is pretty good too but I wouldn’t want anything larger and it looks more like a miniaturized SUV than a hatchback and charging speed could be better. The ID3 also pretty good but dislike interior and it’s a bit big. Plus it’s not sold here, at least not yet. So a small hatchback with great handling, quick charge speeds and the range of the Kona.
The Mini Cooper SE is a real hot hatch BEV, just a bit light on the range. But low battery weight is part of what makes it such a fun drive (and smaller battery means more affordable). Plus charge times are pretty short due to the smaller battery.