An electric car is more expensive than a thermal model, without having the same range or the same ease of energy supply. If it was necessary to stop there, the game would be lost. So, to standardize without trivializing these cars that they will have to sell en masse, manufacturers are deploying the right amount of tact.
The first rule is to avoid overplaying the novelty. The originality bias of the Zoe, the first Nissan Leaf or the BMW i3 from the early 2010s fizzled out. While their architecture would allow some daring style, recent electric cars adopt tapered and plunging lines, in accordance with the aesthetic doxa of the moment.
“For the electric vehicle to reach all customers, it must be consensual. People want a nice car, not a spaceship ”, assures Agneta Dahlgren, responsible for the design of these models at Renault. To anchor the electric in the grand story of the automobile and to give pledges of democratization, the diamond brand will launch in the coming years modern reinterpretations of the R5 and the 4L, two popular icons.
“For the electric vehicle to reach all customers, it must be consensual. People want a nice car, not a spaceship ”, Agneta Dahlgren, head of design at Renault
Peugeot, which does not have a specialized platform, offers models (208, 2008 and soon 308) with an almost identical presentation, whether thermal or electric. Matthias Hossann, its chief designer, does not see it as a stopgap but “The best way to expand consumer choice”. “Given the safety and aerodynamic constraints, he said, the real room for creation is not on the outside, but in the passenger compartment, where the electric motor frees up space. “
To convince that the electric is a car like any other, it is also necessary to play down the purchase. “The customer must understand that by integrating the price of energy and maintenance, the overall cost of use is comparable to that of a conventional model”, insists Anne-Lise Richard, head of electrification at Peugeot. Long-term rental formulas that smooth expenses over time are emphasized with insistence, but some avoid resorting to them. Tesla models, in great demand on the second-hand market, are most often paid for in cash or are the subject of a classic credit from the buyer, who makes the bet that the resale his car will have suffered a limited discount.
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