Experts behind the VISION E

A number of teams across ŠKODA, along with external suppliers, contributed to the purely electrically driven ŠKODA VISION E concept car. Discover how eight people selected to represent the various professions, from designers through glassmakers to marketers, participated in conceiving the VISION E.

24. 4. 2017 Škoda World INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Our task in the Shanghai Fair show car project was to design a drive system to demonstrate ŠKODA’s technological capabilities and its technological development potential. One of the options was a mock-up, but a roadworthy high-voltage electric car was a challenge we found a great deal more exciting. We started the design work from scratch, as no existing series-production solution was available. We needed to design the necessary traction components, including the front and rear electric motors,

power electronics for both electric motors, the high-voltage electrical system, the traction battery and the communication architecture. One of the biggest challenges was the mechanical mounting solution for each part, because we needed to fit the vehicle with the drive components, as well as with the required presentation equipment (adaptors, computers, etc.). We are happy about the outcome of our design work – we have managed to build a battery-only show car that demonstrates possible solutions for our future electric four-wheel-drive ŠKODA.

My colleagues have perfectly coped with the task to design the chassis while integrating all components that needed to be fitted into the car. Once the platform was welded together, we applied the surface coat used for series-production cars (in the series-production paint shop). The platform was then taken to our department, Prototype Assembly, where we started building the “buggy”. This project involved the use of equipment that we mounted for the first time, and that was the thing I liked most. Using brand new technologies and equipment was a challenge I gladly accepted, realising that this project would take my personal expertise to a completely new level. We only had two weeks for the building process and for putting the equipment into operation. It was all rather hectic, but we made it on time. That, however, was not the end of my work. I was part of this concept car project throughout the production process, until its final completion, and I am really pleased about the opportunity to contribute to the birth of this exciting electric concept car. I wish this car every success worldwide, and I hope I will get a chance to take part in similar projects also in the future.

Concept cars are produced for two reasons. Firstly, car manufacturers can try out technologies and processes not present in series production. And secondly and most importantly, they get feedback to their new concepts and solutions from their future customers. Basically, concept cars and series production cars are different in all respects. When developing series production cars, manufacturers have to comply with loads of legislation. In contrast, they can be a great deal more independent with concept cars, as they are free to look for new ideas and bold solutions and then actually apply them. In the VISION E, for example, we placed special focus on the following areas: passenger compartment, how to control a car that is completely online and how to make the driver’s life more pleasant in autonomous driving mode. Personally, I was responsible for the chassis and drive technology

at the initial stage of the project, i.e. for ensuring that the car met all relevant requirements. In later stages I cooperated with the Design Department on the arrangement of the passenger compartment, displays, etc. The most difficult thing in similar show car project is to really let one’s hair down – you need to forget all stereotypes, like why something is not possible, and you have to constantly think about new ways of doing things. While some of them prove to be dead ends in the end, some others turn out to be brilliant ideas. I am very happy about the outcome of the VISION E concept car project. It is ŠKODA’s first-ever electric car to actually feature all electric-drive benefits. What I appreciate most about this product is the combination of sporty look, sporty technological parameters and big boot volume. And let’s not forget about the beautiful Czech-crystal details.

This concept car presents the brand’s future while highlighting our new design identity for e-mobility. Aerodynamics and environmental friendliness are playing an increasingly important role, and they also have a growing impact on design. With this in mind, our primary goal is to harmonise functionality with emotional design, and we place a great emphasis on purity and timeliness. Rather than products beautiful just at first sight, we design cars with long-term aesthetic value. Electric cars are new ground for us, and we really enjoyed this job. We were given a great deal of freedom, and we did a lot of experimenting while looking for a completely new architecture. Despite all this, touching the past is highly important to us, too – we are one of the world’s oldest car manufacturers, and we can build on the brand’s long history to find new connections and contexts, such as the side crystal item referring to the ŠKODA 1000 MB. Czech glass is a natural source of inspiration for us.

We want to stress the fact that our vehicles come from the heart of Europe and that they reflect typically Czech arts and crafts. That is why crystal glass appears e.g. in the headlamps that extend all across the front part and, together with the mask (that has been redesigned, but has not lost its typical ŠKODA features) give the vehicle a distinct face. Obviously, crystal elements are not present just in details – their sharp-cut lines and edges that are in high contrast with the hard-muscled, athletic body surfaces make a huge impact on the car as a whole. The exterior is split by black colour in the bottom part to make the vehicle visually lighter and, most importantly, separate the battery platform from the rest of the car. The rear part integrates an active spoiler that slides out at high speeds to improve the car’s aerodynamics, together with elegant air inlets and edges. The rear is dominated by a 3D crystal logo, a symbolic seal of quality and history.

We are very pleased about our cooperation with ŠKODA - it started in 2011 when we supplied the brand with the first crystal details for the VISION D (concept car). With the VISION E we have taken the whole context to a completely new level. Our current glass components are bigger, more sophisticated and their number is higher. We have supplied logos for the bonnet, boot lid and steering wheel, as well as cut prisms for the doors and the dashboard, and crystal items under the gear stick, under the displays, for the headrests and the interior rear view mirror. All our components are made of hand-cut glass, and many of them are backlit. In particular, I wish to highlight the big front part in the vehicle’s exterior - located under the logo between the headlamps, it helps form the typical ŠKODA line. It is a massive, hand-cut glass component, more than 110 cm in length. Considering its dimensions and

the complexity of the cutting process, the cutter needs three weeks for the final finish. The fact that the initial idea behind the cooperation between ŠKODA and Lasvit was to link this Czech car manufacturer with the Czech glass-making tradition is well-known, and I am sure that this concept is still highly viable. The worldwide popularity of Czech glass is not fading out, on the contrary, it is growing, just like ŠKODA’s popularity. And just like ŠKODA, we are also strongly innovation-oriented. We are not likely to use large-scale production formats to cut glass for car interiors, but concepts cars like the VISION E enable us to increase the sophistication of our innovative processes that we can then use e.g. in producing tailored installations on which we cooperate with world-leading architects and designers. It is a great honour for us to cooperate with ŠKODA.

Interior car design has its specifics. The passenger compartment features many details that need to be in harmony while staying fully functional and user friendly. That’s why after the first sketches and computer models the next stage is a 1:1 clay model of the passenger compartment that we produce to be able to sit into the interior and see everything in reality. The VISION E showcar continues ŠKODA’s design philosophy. The typical ŠKODA dashboard features a decorative backlit strip with a soft wave used as a hand-rest for whoever controls the centre-panel touchscreen. This electric vehicle boasts a strictly democratic and symmetrical character. The passenger compartment is divided into four equal zones to provide all car occupants with the same background. The visually lightweight, ergonomically sophisticated seats provide enough privacy and underscore the overall

intimateness. All headrests come with built-in speakers, and the door panels feature phone storage compartments. The VISION E is partly autonomous, but is still fitted with a steering wheel. The growing autonomy will increase the degree of “democracy”, too – the steering will not be controlled exclusively by the person sitting in the driver’s seat. Instead of the typical centre console, this electric showcar features a stand-alone panel-like console that features a big crystal cylinder to control the centre-panel touchscreen. The steering wheel is decorated with a highly elegant, yet fragile-looking glass logo. Each glass item in the car is lit, because light is an inherent part of glass, underlining its beauty. These pulsing items make the car distinct and unique. Our cooperation with glassmakers is meant to be a tribute to the roots and history of this typically Czech craft.

We get inspired by everyday life, including what combinations, colours and material textures people wear. Creative impulses also come from suppliers, and we seek further inspiration at trade fairs and shows and worldwide, including at the Milan Furniture Fair and the Paris Fashion Show. We carefully collect all these impulses and inputs and then select those we believe can be used in our latest concept car – items that make a good match with the vehicle, underscore its character, are trendy and are likely to maintain value over time. Advanced technologies help us a great deal in selecting the right materials and colours. We need to feel and perceive the car’s interior, and virtual reality enables us to sit into the showcar and decide whether or not the materials and colour

combinations we have designed go together. While concept cars can be rather bold, series models are more customer-oriented, including the materials and their practicality. Showcars give designers a great deal of freedom – for example, we can use sitting-furniture leather and other materials without being bothered to do any load tests. The VISION E has given a new dimension to the showcar world. It is a vehicle with an electrifying aura, and we have selected all the colours and materials with its character in mind. The interior boasts a combination of petroleum colour and warm white leather, and the stitching bears the yellow-and-green colour of the exterior. We are going a new way while harmonising all items with the brand’s character.

Every design concept car is a unique product, a solitaire, so how to present it, how to let the whole world “lay its fingers” on it? The best bet is virtual reality, a tool that makes it possible to explore the whole vehicle as an in-depth experience. You can sit into it, take a ride and control all the devices in the comfort of your home, in your sitting room. We have chosen three virtual levels for the VISION E premiere. In Shanghai we are using the highest level, HTC VIVE - the user can admire the car’s design, check out its exterior and interior and take a short ride, too. In addition to this motor show, we hold smaller shows in a further 8 cities worldwide. Parallel to these activities, we have invited online influencers, i.e. popular youtubers and bloggers who can help us let the world know about our new showcar. We teamed up with our importers to select a hundred online opinion makers, and we sent them a package containing Google Daydream, a virtual reality set. Last but not least, we present the VISION E through a smartphone app that any user can download to explore the car using a 360° video.