Modern electric vehicles (EVs) offer impressive range and sleek exteriors. That said, the journey to advanced design was anything but smooth. Before electric cars became mainstream, they were the subject of strange ideas for a century. While some were designed to cheat the wind, others looked like living rooms on wheels.
Engineers had a lot on their plates when designing early EVs. Like modern electric cars, the old ones had to deal with heavy batteries, which could contain 10 kilograms of lead. Builders were limited in their options, so they had to do the best with their materials.
For example, prioritising a lightweight automobile meant using an open carriage body and thinner wheels. If you were bent on shedding weight, you could use three wheels instead of four. Heavy vehicles still reached the market, so automakers might have had to limit speed.
Primitive EVs were in the middle of the automotive renaissance of the early 20th century. However, they weren’t competing with the BMWs and Audis you know and love — their primary competition was the horse. People used these animals to travel in and around town.
Early automakers wanted to make the experience convenient, especially wealthy blokes who could afford the cars. Experts say the earliest EVs cost more than twice as much as a Model T. Their designs were meant for comfort, as if to recreate the cosy parlours of home.
Before the rules of automotive design were established, EVs were grand experiments. Building a car around a heavy battery was challenging in the 19th century and remains a predicament over 100 years later. Here are five eccentricities that made the design unique.
When you picture tillers, you may think of sailboats or fishing boats. However, early EVs used them instead of steering wheels, which were more common in petrol cars in the early 20th century.
Tillers required pushing the lever in the direction they wanted the front of their EV to go. Mechanical simplicity made it practical during the early days of the automobile. It was also analogous to how drivers would guide horse-drawn carriages.
The chain drive rests in the driveshaft and remains hidden in modern cars. However, early EV design left it exposed and gave it a bicycle-like appearance. Instead, the mechanism is scaled up and powered by a motor.
Automakers attached a sprocket to the electric motor with another one bolted to the rear axle. You’d connect the two sprockets with a metal chain, which helped the car propel forward. This mechanism was familiar to drivers, especially those who witnessed the rise of bicycles in the late 19th century.
Typical gasoline cars had a long bonnet to house the engine and radiator. Without these components, designers had much more freedom in their designs. Instead, they could place the electric motor anywhere, whether under the seat or the rear axle.
The uniqueness of car bodies also extended to the materials used. For instance, automakers experimented with soybean-based plastic panels because they believed in the safety benefits. Designers also had to be creative due to metal shortages during World War II.
While early EV design was odd, the eccentricities extended into the 21st century. Automakers in the early 2000s sought to improve safety when plugging a car in to charge. General Motors concocted a solution for the EV1 and introduced inductive charging paddles.
The EV1 ultimately failed, as GM recovered most of the 1,117 cars it built. Charging was just one issue, as the paddles were large and clunky. While there were no exposed electrical contacts, it was heavy and clumsy. Other companies quickly made the charger obsolete.
After a century of EV innovation, range was still a concern in the early 2000s. The median range for battery-electric cars was just over 100 kilometres in 2011, so automakers got creative with aerodynamics.
For instance, the early Honda Insights were designed for aerodynamic efficiency rather than looks. The Japanese automaker gave it an aggressive teardrop profile with enclosed rear wheel skirts. Another eccentric example was the Aptera prototype in the 2000s. Instead of a car, it resembled a small aircraft.
The oddities of early EV design mostly stayed in the past. However, some elements are still relevant today, even if you overlook them. For example, Chinese automakers are instituting battery swap stations across the country. This concept emerged in the late 19th century but failed to stick around.
Another eccentricity with modern staying power was the phantom front. It was once odd to have no engine in the front, especially when long bonnets took over. That said, even modern EVs have space in the front for cargo.
The journey of EVs is a testament to human ingenuity over the last century. While eccentricities existed, they addressed the core challenges of weight and range. Automakers left exposed chain drives and clunky charging paddles in the past, though the spirit of their innovation endures.
