Abstract
The introduction of alternative powertrain technologies could provide an opportunity to re-design spaces within a vehicle that were previously constrained by traditional engines. Such freedom should foster design creativity as far as the overall architecture and appearance of future cars are concerned. However, these vehicles require new specific components, that were not relevant in conventional combustion driven cars, to be designed, developed and integrated, hence the design evolution of electric vehicles remains uncertain (Figure 1). The goal of a joint venture between the Free University of Bolzano – represented by the Faculty of Design and Art and the Faculty of Science and Technology – and the Technical University of Munich – represented by the Chair of Automotive Technology – was to define how the adoption of alternative engines is going to influence the exterior proportions of cars.