There are multiple vehicles on this list that are ideal for a gap we see in the electric vehicle market. There are currently no 2 door electric coupes that are mass produced. The only one we see on the roads today is the original Tesla Roadster and Tesla doesn’t plan to release the new Roadster until 2020-2021. Even then, the vehicle’s base price is $257,000 USD which is way beyond 99% of most people’s car budgets. So there is plenty of opportunity for an automaker to step in with 2 door electric coupes. Prices ranging between $45k-$65k with 200+ miles (329 kilometers) of range. Anything that’s below 200 miles of range, most people begin to question the practicality.
Aside from the electric 2 door coupe opportunity, there are multiple SUVs and sedans that seem to be overlooked for electrification or that now the electric car market has been proven… ripe for the picking.
Electric Range Rover Models
Ranger Rover and Jaguar are basically the same company and 2 different brands. Jaguar has already done the legwork of creating the electric framework for their I-Pace model and proven it works. That same technology placed in a Ranger Rover of similar size as the I-Pace, like the Range Rover Evoque, would make a phenomenal electric SUV. The design of the Evoque already looks much more futuristic than many other Range Rover models.
The Range Rover Velar also has a futuristic look and seems much more aerodynamic compared to other models in the Range Rover lineup. In terms of design, it looks like something you could put in the same category as the Tesla Model X, except for the gasoline engine issue. With this type of design from the Range Rover Velar it would almost be expected to have an electric motor in it.
2021 Jaguar Electric Vehicles
Jaguar F Pace. The I-Pace technology placed into the Jaguar SUV could create something that would have people considering other options when buying a Tesla Model X. At a similar price point with similar range, the Jaguar F Pace would be an interesting contender to test against. Either way, having more electric SUVs (since SUVs are some of the most popular categories of vehicles that also consume the most gasoline) would help make the transportation industry much more sustainable.
The Jaguar E-Pace. When this vehicle came out, I thought it was going to be Jaguar’s electric compact SUV. Its called the “E-Pace” which sounds like an electric vehicle and it was launched around the time that the all electric I-Pace was announced. In terms of branding and timing those couldn’t have been any worse.
Jaguar F-Type. If Jaguar plans on making an electric version of the F-Type, this would be something that people who want the new Tesla Roadster would consider. Since the Tesla Roadster is out of most people’s price range, may consider a powerful 2 door electric Jaguar coupe at half the price.
2021 Electric Nissan 370Z
An electric Nissan 370Z would be very possible by using Nissan Leaf tech and larger battery capacity. Its already talked about in forums and Nissan played with the idea of a concept car back in 2011 that looks like a future electric 370Z. In 9 years we haven’t heard much at all about the future of this vehicle. Learn more about what a potential electric Nissan 370Z would look like in terms of specifications and range if Nissan decided to make it.
Electric Audi S5
The Audi S5 electric. This was such a desirable vehicle to make electric that someone has already done it as proof of concept. Samuel Polyak took a 2010 Audi S5 and placed the drive unit and batteries that were separated from a Tesla Model S and made an electric Audi S5 that looks almost production level.
If done to Audi level engineering, this would also be the only 2 door EV coupe but with prestige and class. Being that Audi is owned by Volkswagen and they already have the Audi e-tron models, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to make an all electric production version of the Audi S5.
The Volkswagen Tiguan. Even though VW has announced they would be coming out with all new EV architecture and vehicles, remember that they have an electric golf. If they stuffed that tech into a Tiguan (or swapped tech from the Audi e-tron) they would have something that could compete with the Tesla Model Y which will be the only other electric compact SUV on the market.
The Lexus IS 300. Surprisingly, Lexus has dominated the hybrid market for over a decade and their parent company, Toyota, sold one of the most popular hybrids ever made. The Prius. Yet the company hasn’t put forth an all electric version of any of the company’s vehicles. It seems quite odd. With their access to manufacturers, capital, knowledge and existing hybrid technology they could easily do something like this. If they had made the move to go full electric with even 1 of there exiting models like the Lexus IS 300, they would have had a hold of the electric luxury vehicle market a long time ago. They were once ahead of the game with their technology and now they’re falling behind.
The Mercedes Benz C-Class. Mercedes had already made a hybrid version of the C-Class model in 2018 that didn’t seem to get much attention. As one of Mercedes most popular vehicle models the decision to not go fully electric doesn’t seem to make mush sense. But this seems to be a trend that many legacy automakers are doing.
The Jeep Wrangler. This is something that Jeep Wrangler owners have been requesting for a very long time. There were rumors they were going to make one and instead they recently showcased a plug in hybrid Wrangler at CES 2020. They have become yet another automaker that hasn’t fully committed to electric and only gone halfway with the idea. Rivian has already proved there is a huge market and demand for electric, offroad capable vehicles. If Jeep doesn’t act on this and Rivian follows the Tesla model of making less expensive vehicles, Jeep will be in trouble in the future. Presently, there are no electric vehicles intended for off road adventures but soon that market will be owned by 1 automaker.
The Volvo XC90. Volvo already has the T8 hybrid which aside from the gasoline engine onboard, seemed like a great SUV. If Volvo made the model full electric instead of dipping their toe in, they wouldn’t have lost so many loyal customers to the Tesla Model X. Why would someone pay $73k USD for a hybrid SUV and have to pay for gas when they can buy the base Model X for a few thousand more (around $81k USD) and use the Tesla Supercharger Network? Its been said that “hybrids are the worst of both worlds”. Back when hybrid were the only affordable option people wanted them. Now that you can get an electric vehicle for under 40k USD, hybrids are essentially outdated at any price. Ironically, Tesla in now known as the safest automaker which is what Volvo used to be known for.
The Mercedes Benz G-Class. With its flat surfaces for mounting solar panels into the body and its size, the G-Class would be an ideal candidate for an electric SUV from Mercedes. Mercedes recently had announced the entirely new EQC… then postponed the release of the SUV. It would have made more sense to put that technology into the first major redesign of the G-Class in over 40 years. Instead, they equipped the G-Class with a turbocharged V8 which seems like something a legacy automaker would do. The brand of the G-Class has already done the work and created brand loyalty. Proof of concept has already been made by KRIESEL and it looks amazing. These were two pieces of the electric SUV future that would have taken the world by storm. I honestly wonder how many people bought an electric Tesla Model X over the V8 powered Mercedes G-Class?
Legacy Automakers Making Hybrids Instead of Electrics
With so many automakers developing plugin hybrid electric vehicles, when the rest of the world seems to be going full electric,it makes me wonder if legacy automakers are using hybrid vehicles as testing waters. If they are using hybrids to gauge the market for electric cars, they’re going to be getting numbers that don’t correlate to what they are looking for. Nobody wants hybrid vehicles anymore now that long range and somewhat affordable all electric cars are here.
Most of these cars will be left behind in the form of being phased out to make way for new entirely different electric models or it will be the end of the car companies that make them. One massive automaker would have gone bankrupt had they not been bailed out. Its seems the only logical thing to do is convert existing models to be fully electric.
The future of the automobile industry is electric.
There is no debate on that. There is a reason why America’s most valuable automaker, Tesla Motors, is 100% electric and also the youngest. They’re making new sales records year after year and have the world’s largest charging network. If legacy automakers don’t catch up to the future and take this seriously, they’ll have to give way to the new automakers that are making the future happen.
