The Model T Paradigm: The Case for a Minimalist Electric Car
The Model T Paradigm: The Case for a Minimalist Electric Car The case for a “minimalist” design on this electric car rather than a head-turning elegant design is based on three things: function; cost; and positioning. The functional argument is that a vehicle traveling less than 40 miles per hour gets little benefit from an efficient aerodynamic design. Thus, the extra design, tooling, materials, and labor to produce a styled aerodynamic body would not pay for themselves in increased performance. Meanwhile, the marketing high end position of styled elegance and high performance is being fiercely contested by the likes of Tesla and even General Motors with the Chevy Volt. Moreover, those two named companies are apparently hard-wired politically to the U.S. federal government to the ...