As noted modern design plays a big part in making a car safe. However on the smart car the driver is seated back pretty far. Also it doesn't diminish the value in a long nose being able to absorb more of that collision energy.
The other thing is psychology here, I for one are more comfortable driving a vehicle with a bit of a nose on it. Maybe there is no justification for that feeling but it does exist.
I believe the main difficulty/barrier to entry in the EV market is the ability to reliably mass produce complex objects. Apple has lots of experience in mass production, and Tesla has a head start on everyone else, but I'm not sure many of Branson's past ventures have involved mass production. He seems like more of a business/branding maestro.
Every market Branson has gotten into was deemed impenetrable to outsiders or over saturated, yet he's managed to do spectacularly well in each. Cell service, plane service, the music business...
You can't compare a COE with anything modern. We have better materials and better designs that make even a Smart Car fair better than large cars of the 1970's.
[VIDEO]
Thanks for posting this video. It shows how better design and engineering can get rid of dead weight, which is what the long front hood really represents. I don't believe Apple will accept the head-on collision cliché without a fight, like Smart has successfully carried out.
My position is prejudiced by having driven rear-engine air-cooled cars since 1960. The best idea is to avoid the very rare head-on collision opportunity by quick maneuvering, which the short front section with low weight and precision steering makes more possible. That's been my true on-the-road experience. Two certain-death head-ons cleanly avoided in 55 years, one of them my error.
One thing to realize here is that cars are highly regulated! This does put limitations on designs. Apple would likely have more design freedom on a motorcycle than a car.
There is something very intriguing about the rumors that Apple is working on a car itself. Will it be the type of car that people have grown accustomed to, with just a lot more of the connectivity stuff Silicon Valley is famous for? Or will Apple revolutionize the car the same way it did with the cell phone - true to two of Steve Jobs' motto's "build something better that no competitor has got" and "reinventing, making things better"?
The only thing Apple could do here is to come up with a better battery. What most people don't realize is that the technology of an electric car is rather old. Motors with advanced controllers have been used in industry for a very long time. Trains have been diesel electric for a very long time now. Motors in wheels have been used in construction equipment for ages now. The only real difference with modern electric automobiles is that the hardware has shrunk significantly. The power source however hasn't shrunk and likely won't anytime soon.
Let's put it this way: the car industry (and Google) will be pleased if it turns out to be the first...
First of what? I actually would love to see Apple produce a commuter oriented electric car as that is where the big pay off is environmentally. They have the cash to do it that is for sure. The problem is hitting the expectations mark dead center to grab enough consumer interest. Oh and they need to build it in the USA.
One other thing, it would be nice to see a DC power input port. The idea here being the ability to plug the car directly into a solar panel array, such as a car port, to recharge directly from the sun. Imagine parking your car under a garage or car port, that has a solar array installed and charging that car from the sun. A direct DC input would be used to minimize transformation losses.
Comments
How is the driver seated "pretty far back"? :???:
Every market Branson has gotten into was deemed impenetrable to outsiders or over saturated, yet he's managed to do spectacularly well in each. Cell service, plane service, the music business...
Thanks for posting this video. It shows how better design and engineering can get rid of dead weight, which is what the long front hood really represents. I don't believe Apple will accept the head-on collision cliché without a fight, like Smart has successfully carried out.
My position is prejudiced by having driven rear-engine air-cooled cars since 1960. The best idea is to avoid the very rare head-on collision opportunity by quick maneuvering, which the short front section with low weight and precision steering makes more possible. That's been my true on-the-road experience. Two certain-death head-ons cleanly avoided in 55 years, one of them my error.
The only thing Apple could do here is to come up with a better battery. What most people don't realize is that the technology of an electric car is rather old. Motors with advanced controllers have been used in industry for a very long time. Trains have been diesel electric for a very long time now. Motors in wheels have been used in construction equipment for ages now. The only real difference with modern electric automobiles is that the hardware has shrunk significantly. The power source however hasn't shrunk and likely won't anytime soon.
First of what? I actually would love to see Apple produce a commuter oriented electric car as that is where the big pay off is environmentally. They have the cash to do it that is for sure. The problem is hitting the expectations mark dead center to grab enough consumer interest. Oh and they need to build it in the USA.
One other thing, it would be nice to see a DC power input port. The idea here being the ability to plug the car directly into a solar panel array, such as a car port, to recharge directly from the sun. Imagine parking your car under a garage or car port, that has a solar array installed and charging that car from the sun. A direct DC input would be used to minimize transformation losses.