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- An ideal electric vehicle would make do with 100 to 130 horsepower, sufficient to ensure decent acceleration and a maximum speed of 80 to 90 mph.
- A length of 13 to 14 feet to facilitate urban circulation, a weight kept under 2,650 pounds including the battery, and a 40 kWh battery offering 250 miles of real-world range – not just on a standardized test cycle.
- Fast charging would be available for highway trips when necessary, with a 10-80% charge in less than 20 minutes, and slow charging optimized for domestic use on a reinforced outlet.
When you spot an electric vehicle on the road today, can you truly tell it’s electric at first glance? This seemingly simple question highlights a fundamental problem with today’s automotive industry. Manufacturers have essentially copied the aesthetic and technical standards of combustion engines and applied them to electric vehicles, without fundamentally rethinking what a battery-powered vehicle should be.
Breaking free from tech overload
The electrification of automobiles has been accompanied by a technological arms race that raises questions about what drivers actually need. Between autonomous driving features, oversized touchscreens, and power outputs regularly exceeding 400 horsepower, the industry seems to have lost sight of the primary goal: offering a credible and accessible alternative to fossil fuels.
Manufacturers have fallen into a spiral of complexity that dramatically increases production costs. Take driver assistance systems as an example: while safety devices like ABS or stability control are indeed necessities, do we really need 360-degree cameras, automatic parking assistants, or semi-autonomous driving functions?
These features add several thousand dollars to the final price without bringing real value to daily use for most drivers. A rational electric vehicle should prioritize technologies that directly optimize energy efficiency: effective brake energy recovery, intelligent thermal management of the battery, or cabin pre-heating systems during charging.
Rethinking power and performance
The obsession with acceleration is perhaps the most obvious mistake in today’s electric vehicle industry. Offering vehicles capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds goes against the efficiency philosophy that electric mobility should embody. This performance chase requires oversized motors, heavier batteries, and increased consumption.
An ideal electric vehicle would make do with 100 to 130 horsepower, sufficient to ensure decent acceleration and a maximum speed of 80 to 90 mph. This limitation would optimize the motor’s energy efficiency across its entire usage range and significantly reduce the required battery size. The emphasis should be on consistent energy consumption rather than power peaks.
Current vs. ideal electric vehicle specs
Power: Current EVs: 200-300 hp / Ideal EVs: 100-130 hp
0-60 mph: Current EVs: 6-8 seconds / Ideal EVs: 9-12 seconds
Top speed: Current EVs: 110-125 mph / Ideal EVs: 80-90 mph
Energy consumption: Current EVs: 25-37 kWh/100mi / Ideal EVs: 13-16 kWh/100mi
Prioritizing efficiency over aesthetics
The design of current electric cars often sacrifices aerodynamics on the altar of style. New retro-styled electric models perfectly illustrate this drift: their appealing retro lines penalize their drag coefficient, directly impacting range. A rational electric vehicle should adopt a form optimized to cut through air, even if it means shaking up traditional aesthetic codes.
Weight reduction is the other major priority. Every pound saved on the structure translates to a smaller battery, making it cheaper and easier to recycle. The use of aluminum, composite fibers, or new lightweight alloys should take precedence over premium materials like leather or wood trim (which often end up looking tacky anyway).
The blueprint for an ideal electric vehicle
If we were to define the specifications of an electric vehicle truly designed for the energy transition, several parameters would stand out. A length of 13 to 14 feet to facilitate urban circulation, a weight kept under 2,650 pounds including the battery, and a 40 kWh battery offering 250 miles of real-world range – not just on a standardized test cycle. Sound difficult? Think again: current techniques make this entirely possible, and at a lower manufacturing cost.
The cabin could comfortably accommodate four adults, with a trunk of nearly 14 cubic feet. Fast charging would be available for highway trips when necessary, with a 10-80% charge in less than 20 minutes, and slow charging optimized for domestic use on a reinforced outlet. This vehicle would aim for a selling price of $15,000 before incentives, making electric mobility accessible to the greatest number.
This approach requires manufacturers to completely rethink their economic model, favoring volume over unit margins. It also requires a revision of consumer expectations, who are used to associating modernity with technological sophistication. Yet it’s probably at this price that the electric car will fulfill its true mission: democratizing environmentally friendly mobility without reproducing the excesses of the combustion era.
