I can accept that the future of cars is EV, but...

Do they all have to be so berkleying ugly?

My friend's wife got a Tesla Model 3 a few weeks ago and I drove it last week.  It is a magical car- if you haven't driven one yet, you really should.  It may not be the ultimate enthusiast toy, but it does Being A Car better than just about anything.

That said... I know this is subjective but my god, they are hideous.  A face only a mother could love.  Body lines that say "economy CUV's are just a little too racy."  Completely monochrome white interior (obviously designed by someone who has never seen my kids with a chocolate bar).  Do they make colors other than gray?

I feel the same way about the Leaf, the Volt, etc.  The Mach E... yeah, that's gonna be a no from me, dawg.  Somebody please reassure me that the future isn't full of cars that were designed by people who have never drooled a little bit while looking over an E Type?  I suppose the Taycan gives me some hope.

while I agree the nose on the 3 needs work, I do like the rest of the design.  I really like everything about the "S", I don't think it has a bad angle.

While I think the whole of the Prius doesn't work, I do like the shape of it's greenhouse.  The problem is Electric Cars are still new, people want them to look different and "green" with very low drag.  They need very low drag to get the most out of their batteries.  Give it time.

The Tesla Model 3 can be upgraded with the Unplugged Performance bumpers and other parts:

I think it looks pretty good, actually. They have a similar kit for the Model y.

And I love the first gen Volts, here's mine:

But here's the deal, EV don't have to look like regular cars. There's no "engine compartment" or need for grilles. My Bolt is just a modern hot hatch, and looks like a modern car with the GM "face." Nothing wrong with that and I think it looks good:

The very first electric cars I ever saw were being built in a small shop in MA back in the 60's. They looked like a small sports car with a shape somewhat similar to a Datsun 240 Z and had a rack of car batteries that slid in IIRC. At the time I was an impressed 10-12 YO and thought electric cars were going to be cool. So far I've been disappointed with the way most of them look.

I'm pushing 59 years of age with my youngest being 18 years old.  Hopefully I'll be really old when this happens.  

I tell her the future is pods - good luck. 
 

I basically like the looks of the 3 and Y, though the face with no mouth thing jumps out at me sometimes.

The Volt isn't really any worse looking than most contemporary cars, and better than a lot.

I think the Mach E has a couple of angles it's not hideous from. I think.

At some point, someone will figure out a better looking new normal that isn't just a fake grille, a blank grille, but a shape that really makes sense for something with little or no radiator.

I don't see any real reason they have to look the way they do.  I think one of the primary reasons is to "be different", for marketing reasons.

I would suspect you will see them drift more toward "normal" in the future. 

Chris_V said:

The Tesla Model 3 can be upgraded with the Unplugged Performance bumpers and other parts:

The front bumper and side skirts actually do wonders for that thing.  The rear wing helps make it look less like a Dow Scrubby Bubble.

aircooled said:

I don't see any real reason they have to look the way they do.  I think one of the primary reasons is to "be different", for marketing reasons.

I would suspect you will see them drift more toward "normal" in the future. 

I guess that's the thing, they don't have to look anything like regular cars.  No engine bay, no transmission tunnel, no radiator, etc.  But most of them look like badly drawn cartoons of regular cars.  Some things are just good or accepted ergonomics (2+2 seating configuration, driver position front left, etc) but it seems like when you remove the other constraints, a whole world of possibilities opens up to make a car that's both functional and beautiful.

Maybe that's what Tesla was going for with the truck.  Unfortunately they ended up with something that my kid would have designed in 2nd grade when he first learned to trace lines with a ruler.

I just hope someone starts to offer good EV conversions at reasonable prices. I would love to one day make my Element electric. 

Ugly...but you noticed. And are talking. Which, at this point in electric cars, is the point.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

I don't know what an EV is supposed to look like.  It's absolutely dumb to make it look like a ICE  just because We like the looks of certain ICE cars.  
EV's deserve their own identity.  
     We all know designs that grew on us, maybe that's what we need to allow to happen.  Or maybe  a stunning design will happen.  Time will tell. 

The Model 3 is a beauty queen compared to the Muskmobile (aka the Cybertruck) - not THAT is fugly.

EVs are no different from ICE cars, some are ugly, some aren't. I share your opinion about the Model 3. But the Model S looks great.

I think the Prius is a bit on the ugly side, but not that bad, especially a 3rd gen.  The model 3 dash bothers me a bit, but the ext. body is fine, possibly with the exception of the nose.  There are many, many, many ICE powered cars far uglier than the 3.

I just test drove a Bolt today and it looks exactly like a generic small hatchback appliance.  I even confused it with several Sparks on the lot from a distance.

What to you think of this?

I'm old enough that I think proper cars are supposed to have round headlights.    I don't care for the cyborg faces that are so prevalent these days.

I like the Taycan

For an electric pick-up truck a forward control design makes sense to me. Bigger cargo box and less overall length.

Who needs crumple zones anyhow? Aren't the future self driving cars supposed to be perfect and never crash?

I actually don't hate the (supposedly finally going into production in 2022) VW Microbus EV concept. 
 

Here's the thing. With the emergence of new technology or manufacturing processes it takes a while for stylists to catch up to the possibility of new shapes. Been happening in product design for decades. Headlight design, laid-back windshields, aluminum, carbon fiber, fiberglass soft bumper covers, no external bumpers are all things that needed time to be understood to realize their full stylistic potential.

In reply to wspohn :

I like the 3 a whole lot and I love the Cybertruck. I'd drive either of them in a heartbeat. 
 

93EXCivic said:

I just hope someone starts to offer good EV conversions at reasonable prices. I would love to one day make my Element electric. 

When you consider the amount of re-engineering and sheer labor to do it - it will never be "reasonable" to re-power a car instead of starting with one that was an EV all along.

EVs do still have some bulky items that need to be packaged, like inverters and motors and cooling systems and HVAC etc. Plus we have crash standards that are hardest for frontal impacts. So they're going to keep having a front crumple zone, and as long as they're doing that, it's a good place to put some of that bulky stuff.

Keith Tanner said:

93EXCivic said:

I just hope someone starts to offer good EV conversions at reasonable prices. I would love to one day make my Element electric. 

When you consider the amount of re-engineering and sheer labor to do it - it will never be "reasonable" to re-power a car instead of starting with one that was an EV all along.

I think battery price will be the biggest reason it is not 'reasonable'.

Aside from that, its no less 'reasonable' than repowering a ICE car with a different manufacturer's ICE :)

wspohn said:

The Model 3 is a beauty queen compared to the Muskmobile (aka the Cybertruck) - not THAT is fugly.

 

That thing is hot. I'd rock it anywhere.