The Nils – VW’s pragmatic approach to the electric car

The VW Nils concept electric car takes a pragmatic approach to the restricted range, high cost and long re-charge times associated with today’s battery technology.

In a similar vein to the G-Wiz electric quadricycle, the Nils does not pitch itself against the conventional family car and is aimed squarely at commuters.

The single-seater Nils makes no apology for its modest 40-mile range because it is intended to be used as an urban commuter and most commuters travel no further than fifteen miles in total each day. Crucially, the car’s small and inexpensive 5.3kWh battery recharges from a conventional electrical socket in a maximum of two hours.

The Nils makes little attempt to look like a conventional car – usually the preserve of supercars, the design features dramatic polycarbonate gullwing doors.

While VW has no plans to build the Nils, it maintains the design is both technically realistic and economically feasible.

Radical-looking electric cars

Increases in environmental awareness and the cost of fuel have not altered the fact that the appearance of a car is still a huge influence on its popularity – a fact that has not helped electric cars, which, historically, have placed function above form. The fact that the radical-looking the Aptera electric car, which is already on sale in America, does not seek to compete with the aesthetic of conventional cars is to its advantage.