When SUVs began to grow like wildfire, many brands launched harsh criticism against these voluminous models. Now the trend is changing and it is because electric mechanics need more aerodynamic designs to achieve better efficiency and offer the maximum possible range. Well, criticism of this new trend is already beginning and some have called them ‘potato-shaped cars’. This brand refuses to make them like this like all brands are making them, and they also refuse to make them look like ‘Las Vegas in miniature’.
It was Nahum Escobedo, the designer of the Polestar 3, who harshly criticized the fact that the new electric cars have such rounded shapes that, as he explained, ‘they look like a potato’. Escobedo is not in favor of depending excessively on aerodynamics to achieve the maximum possible range. It is a criticism that he remembers, a lot, as we mentioned before, when SUVs began to be a trend and brands wanted ‘more passionate’ cars. Of course, what the designer of the Polestar 3 points out is that focusing excessively on aerodynamics, to the detriment of interesting design details, ‘is not the way to go’. He assures that Polestar wants to do something different, even if that means a small loss of range.
Polestar designer says there are ‘potato-shaped’ electric cars and assures that this is not the way to go
Escobedo has not only criticized the rounded, inexpressive, and boring designs of the new electric cars, but also in this interview he has assured that the ambient lighting is also being taken to the extreme in the new launches. Specifically, he has said that ‘there are so many lights everywhere that it seems like we are in miniature Las Vegas’, something that it seems that Polestar is not going to do. ‘So many buttons, so many lights… this is purple, this is green, this is orange.’
According to the designer, brands are exaggerating the interior of their new models to the point that some look like ‘Christmas lights on the street’. And indeed, it is something that more and more car manufacturers are implementing. The same design trends are being seen in every one of the new electric cars that come to market and, however, at Polestar they seem to be firmly determined to make different cars. The ambient light thing is a separate topic, but the ‘potato-shaped’ designs are something very well studied and whose objective is to achieve better aerodynamics.
On this same label, in addition to criticizing the rest, Escobedo has said that Polestar will not put huge logos on its cars because the brand’s objective is for the design of its new electric cars to define that it is a Polestar. Meanwhile, effectively, this search for maximum aerodynamics is forcing manufacturers to seek to differentiate themselves by huge ‘false grills’ and specific elements because, at the end of the day, the silhouette of all of them is practically the same. You just have to see, for example, the number of electric cars that today have their rear lights joined by an LED strip. The originality, and personality, are conspicuous by its absence.
In the end, the interesting thing is that there is at least someone within the industry who can see one of the important problems with electric cars when it comes to design. At least Polestar has realized that the new models that are launched on the market are increasingly similar, and at least they are going to differentiate themselves from the others even if that means offering slightly less range. And if they can optimize their electric cars in other sections that also impact efficiency, there is no need to take the aerodynamics of electric cars to such extremes.
