Chapter 1
The skateboard platform: building a car from the floor up
Chapter 2
The sound of silence: engineering a new acoustic world
Chapter 3
Power on the move: physics, braking, and feeding the grid
Chapter 4
The global battery race: materials, chemistry, and gigafactories
Ch 1 · The skateboard platform: building a car from the floor up
audi The AUTOnomy concept car packed electronics, batteries, and motors into a thin floor, allowing any vehicle body shape on top.
Quiz
Which 2002 concept car by General Motors is credited with inventing the modern skateboard EV platform?
Quiz
Beyond extra storage, how does an empty front compartment benefit EV passenger safety?
Quiz
What is the popular slang term used to describe the front-mounted trunk space found in many electric vehicles?
Fun Fact
Air-filled seats: The 1967 AMC Amitron EV concept saved weight and space by using inflatable air-filled seat cushions instead of heavy polyurethane foam.
Quiz
What structural obstacle, common in gas cars for exhaust and transmission, is completely eliminated in flat-floor EVs?
Quiz
How does the absence of a front engine block affect the placement of the dashboard in electric vehicles?
Quiz
By how much can a highly aerodynamic, low-drag body design increase an electric vehicle's highway driving range?
Quiz
Why do electric vehicles typically lack the large open front grilles found on traditional gasoline cars?