Skoda has pulled the wraps off Vision E concept that it’s been teasing lately at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show, an early version of what could bear fruit down the line as their first fully electric vehicle in the form of a sporty crossover and built on the Volkswagen’s EV-specific MEB platform.
Many of the car’s initial details were also the most pertinent ones. The four-door four-seater measures a reasonable 4,688mm from nose to tail but has a long 2,851mm wheelbase (60mm longer than their current Kodiaq SUV) that allows it to maximise cabin space, being unencumbered by the constraints a regular combustion engine would pose to packaging normal cars.
The already airy interior is made to seem even more expansive by the single-piece glass roof and windscreen, with forward visibility presumably excellent as there’s no bulky dashboard or instrument cluster in the way. Instead, the Vision E uses two very wide screens (one for each front passenger) to display driving, vehicle, nav, and media information where necessary, augmented by a centrally mounted touchscreen used for control.
The concept uses dual electric motors to generate a combined 225kW output and fed by a collection lithium-ion cells located along the floor between the front and rear axles. Skoda hasn’t specified how much power they can store but said the Vision E is capable of going 500km on a full charge with the aid of clever energy management and and brake energy recovery.
These EV numbers are identical those spouted by Volkswagen who have revealed the very similar I.D Crozz concept at this year’s Shanghai Motor Show. Skoda says that the all-wheel drive grip and power of the electric motors themselves can accelerate the Vision E to 100km/h in just 6.0 seconds and max out at 180km/h.
The exterior itself is probably the single most distinctive aspect of the new concept, indicating both a possible coupe-like SUV from the marque in the near future as well as previewing some possible design cues soon to permeate through Skoda’s existing line-up.
Deep set, angular creases have always been a visual beat that they have used in recent times but the way in which the front and rear illuminators are shaped and distribute their beam is new to the brand, with a ‘cracked glass’ effect meant to echo the brand’s crystalline theme.
It’s much more widely used here. On the front, for example, a single piece headlight is the primary light source, no doubt an LED array set behind a complex series of mirrors and refractors before reaching the road ahead. Another light strip is used in lieu of traditional front fog lamps on either side.
At the rear, just above the number plate, this is duplicated but with red tinted brake lights instead, still using the same collection of busy angles within the housing and recreated again for the tail lamps that flank the tailgate.
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