Car brands like Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen and Volvo (along with sister brand Polestar) have all committed to offering RWD drivetrains on their single-motor EV variants.
Over the years, automakers have shifted to offering cars with a front-wheel drive layout. The FWD vehicles are much cheaper to build and free up space in the car’s cabin, but they do take away some of the performance and handling advantages of RWD cars.
However, for electric vehicles with a single motor, carmakers are opting to make them power the rear wheels. This is because, without the heavy internal combustion engine, EVs have the advantage of moving the weight around. Joakim Rydholm, head of chassis development at Polestar, stated that by reducing the weight on the front axle, the car can be made a bit more agile and fun to drive. Moving to an RWD system also helps improve traction, directness and speed of response which all combine to offer better driving pleasure. He further stated that “we can improve comfort without sacrificing on performance and the handling.”
Reports also stated that with EVs having floor-mounted battery packs, it’s easier for carmakers to achieve a near-perfect ratio, by balancing the weight along the length of the car.
Car brands like Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen and Volvo (along with sister brand Polestar) have all committed to offering RWD drivetrains on their single-motor EV variants. However, there are still a few brands, including Nissan, which offer FWD drivetrains on their EVs. The new Nissan Ariya EV is offered in an FWD configuration on a single-motor variant.
Source: Automotive News
