Somebody told me recently how electric vehicles pose an unexpected problem for car manufacturers, The internal combustion engine is a capricious piece of technology, but it allows you to make many design choices which give it a specific character (number of cilinders, bore/stroke, tuning, exhaust and so on). We consumers have gotten used to this, even more so it has become a part of our lifestyle. Car manufacturers differentiate themselves with it.
A good electric motor is just…a good electric motor. No more differentiation. Oops.
This can lead to several different strategies and disruptive influences. Some manufacturers will probably try to introduce specific characteristics by intervening with software (drive-by-wire). Other new entrants will see the opportunity to use software to personalize the car in different ways.
How about an “iCar by Apple”?
