When it comes to designing a vehicle, comprises must be made. If you want a vehicle to have a sharp profile, that means giving up a bit of interior space and glass area for example. The upcoming Chevrolet Bolt EV is no exception to this.
Automotive News reports that designers tasked with designing the production Bolt gave up some aerodynamic efficiency to improve overall interior space. The Bolt has a drag coefficient of 0.32, while the new Toyota Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.24.
“It’s a disaster for aero,” said Stuart Norris, lead designer on the Bolt.
To compensate for the poor aerodynamics, Norris and his team at GM's South Korea design studio by employing underbody paneling, spoiler, active grille shutters, and even adjusting the size of the A-pillar. Six full-size iterations of various Bolt designs went into the wind tunnel to figure out which tweaks worked.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
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