Jet Airways CEO is skeptical about the lack of grills in modern electric vehicles. He shared his views on Twitter saying, “Maybe it’s just me, but I find these grill-less or painted-on grill plastic front ends of electric cars to be visually unappealing. Makes them look like toys. Why not retain the traditional grills?” He pointed out by adding photos of dew electric cars.
The vehicles in the collage of photos include the Mercedes-Benz EQ concept, the MG ZS EV, and the BMW iX. Vehicle manufacturers worldwide have started their transition from ICE to electric vehicles. With this transition, besides the change in the powertrain, comes the change in the exterior design of the cars. And one of the most prominent changes in appearance that attracts the most attention is the front fascia’s design. The EVs are hitting the market these days miss out on the traditional grills that were available on ICE cars. For many people, it’s a major missing. And one of those people is Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor, who took to Twitter to express his views on the change, along with his preference.
Maybe it's just me, but I find these grill-less or painted-on grill plastic front ends of electric cars to be visually unappealing. Makes them look like toys. Why not retain the traditional grills? pic.twitter.com/n2IwzBqiva
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) October 13, 2022
Traditional look
In society, many believe that electric cars miss out on traditional grills because of the lack of the internal combustion engine right in front of the car. It is common knowledge that the radiators in front of cars need air to maintain optimal temperatures of the engine. Hence, the use of grills to give passage to air. However, the explanation is inaccurate, as electric vehicles’ heating batteries need cooling for proper functioning. However, manufacturers opt for other ways to cool down the batteries instead of traditional grills.
Meanwhile, another faction of people believes that EVs lack grills for better aerodynamics. Electric vehicle manufacturers focus on getting maximum range out of EVs. OEMs usually keep the design smooth to reduce the drag coefficient of cars to achieve the goal. A prime example of this is the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, which has a drag coefficient of 0.2 and a claimed range of 857 km on a single charge.
Incidentally, Vijay Shekhar Sharma seems to be quite a fan of electric vehicles, and in one of his previous tweets had even urged Tesla founder Elon Musk to quickly set up shop in India. Mr. Sharma is also one of the thousands of Indians who’ve pre-booked the Tesla Model 3 electric car, only to be disappointed by the American automaker’s refusal to launch the brand in India.
