Scott Burgess

Electric cars let designers bring passion back to work

The future is electric.

The internal combustion engine, which has served the world for more than 100 years, eventually will be replaced by the quiet hum of electric motors.

Some estimate more than 30 million electric cars, in some form, will be on the road as early as 2015.

Next year, a number of carmakers will debut fully electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids that use a combination of electric motors and gasoline engines to take to the road.

For car designers, these new vehicles are creating opportunities to rethink how to create a car, eliminating some of the restrictions that have been in place with gas engines, a collection of top automotive designers said Tuesday during the annual Michelin Automotive Design Lunch at the Detroit Athletic Club.

"One thing as a car designer you have to adjust to is adapting to the restrictions that come with a vehicle," said Henrik Fisker, an acclaimed car designer and owner of California-based Fisker Automotive, which will debut its first electric car, the Fisker Karma, with a range-extending gas engine, early next year.

Removing a car's engine, heavy-duty cooling system and gas tank creates an opportunity to build more spacious interiors and dramatic exteriors that have never been seen before.

"It's an opportunity to bring some of that passion back to cars," said Moray Callum, Ford Motor Co.'s executive director, Ford Americas Design.

"Electric cars give us some advantages to redo the way an interior should look."

Electric cars also could become safer than their gas counterparts, said Doug Frasher, strategic design chief for Volvo Cars of North America.

"Engines right now don't give much in an accident," he said.

"They are things we have to design around, and without one, you can create much different crumple zones in a car."

Removing the forward-mounted gas engine can "make a car safer," added Robert Bauer, design manager, Nissan Design America. Nissan will debut its all-electric vehicle next year as a test vehicle in a few markets.

"There are a lot of little tricks we can do now that allow us more freedom (with electric cars)," he added.

The environmental impact also is dramatic, said Luke Tonachel, a vehicle analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental action group.

"(Electric) vehicles are an essential component to cutting carbon pollution," he said.

Bob Boniface, the lead designer for the Chevrolet Volt, which also arrives next year, said designers will have room to rework a car's front end.

In the past, the big grille was often a key identifying trait for a car. Electric vehicles, however, don't need big air intakes and the massive chrome grille becomes unnecessary.

"The mouth of these cars is going to change dramatically," he said.

"These cars can be lower and they open up big improvements with aerodynamics."

The key to designing electric vehicles, said Callum, is to find new areas to draw attention.

"In the past, we used to focus on the engine," Callum said.

"But no one is going to show off their battery pack to their neighbor. It would be like showing someone your gas tank."

Despite their promise, many issues, such as extending the range of some electric vehicles far beyond 100 miles, remain, the group agreed.

Infrastructure issues also must be addressed and more incentives need to be offered to entice people to buy them, Tonachel said.

But the new opportunities create an exciting future for designers.

"We're at a point where we're transcending the machine. The sky is the limit," Bauer said, noting the significance of moving from gas to electric.

The future is truly electric.

sburgess@detnews.com (313) 223-3217