EV Magazine February 2023 | Page 29

“ Between 2017-2021 , global sales of passenger vehicles ( PVs ) declined by 17 %, yet we saw the sale of SUVs grow by 2.5 % to command the largest share of the PV sales market . And SUV sales are expected to continue growing globally towards 2025 ,” says Randy Miller , Global Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility Leader at EY .

This arrives on the heels of some geographic markets — such as the US automotive industry — dominating the space , with drivers experiencing fewer perils due to the vehicles ’ sheer width . Miller explains this is now a trend that , along with developed road infrastructure , has reached the rest of the world .

The Smart # 1 marks a new era for the automotive brand . The company — a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group — is shifting its focus to meet industry trends , resulting in its compact SUV model . The car comes at limited availability , with only 1,000 available .

State-of-the-art technology allows the Smart # 1 to achieve an impressive 273-mile range and providing drivers with DC super-charging convenience , achieving 0 to 80 % power in just 30 minutes .

“ Global consumers are now turning towards SUVs for their enhanced functional benefits , like higher ground clearance , superior offroad capabilities , upright driving stance , and more space compared to smaller cars .”

There ’ s no doubt that lifestyles are changing . Drivers are not only adapting to driving EVs , but consumers seem to be less inclined to settle for a small , easily manoeuvrable vehicle . SUVs appear to take consumers ’ fancy for their practicality , safety , and as of now , their sustainability credentials . Equally , automotive companies are finding them much easier to work with , planting SUV-style bodies onto the latest EV battery platform technologies , which can become fairly bulky .

SMART SEES THE EV TREND AND SHIFTS

The two key words here are ‘ smaller cars ’, which is why companies like Smart come to our attention : they , too , are shifting towards more SUV-like vehicles .

As the CEO of Smart UK , David Browne explains that SUVs are chosen “ primarily to meet customer demand ”, but that “ EVs also lend themselves to taller body styles as we need to package the battery under the floor ”.

This is the response he gave when posed the question of efficiency — in particular , whether larger EVs can actually be more efficient and more sustainable than others .

“‘ Less economical ’ is about weight and aerodynamics . We have to balance this against customer requirements : most customers don ’ t need off-road capability , so we didn ’ t engineer it into the # 1 ,”— Smart ’ s own SUV model —“ with two-wheel drive as standard .”

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