Virtually all mainstream car manufacturers have fully electric vehicles in their lineups. However, while automakers don’t put a lot of emphasis on this, EVs fall into two categories: those that are built on an existing platform that the manufacturer modified to take an electric powertrain, and those that are built from the ground up to run solely on electrons.

There are many manufacturers that have developed what in the industry is known as a bespoke EV platform or architecture, and this fact should play a deciding role in the purchase of a new electric model. Think of the platform as an oversized skateboard that makes up the bottom part of the vehicle, and it includes the battery, electronics, and motors.

On top of the platform, manufacturers can craft a series of bodies, and if it's specially designed for EVs, this holds several significant advantages. Let's examine what they are and why they matter!

1. Better Use of Space

When designers and engineers come up with a new internal combustion engine model, they are constrained by the placement of a big engine compartment that’s usually located in the front of the vehicle. The need to dedicate a significant part of the available space to the engine means they have to push the passenger compartment back, which will take away from the roominess.

This would remain true for an EV built on an ICE vehicle platform. Even though an electric version of a combustion model no longer needs the engine compartment since it doesn’t have an engine, using a common platform forces engineers to keep the same layout even though it isn’t strictly needed.

When creating a new electric car on a bespoke EV platform, manufacturers have much more freedom to play around with the size and placement of the passenger compartment. This approach produces vehicles that, for the same wheelbase (the distance between the two axles) as an ICE model, have bigger cabins with more room for passengers and cargo.

For instance, the Volkswagen ID.3, which is the electric equivalent of the Golf hatchback, has similar levels of knee room to a Passat, which is a vehicle from the next size class up. This is thanks to the use of the modular MEB platform that VW developed specifically for its compact EV lineup.

2. Front Trunk

If you’re not an avid EV fan, the problem of electric vehicles not having a front storage compartment under the hood where the engine used to be isn’t a huge issue. However, as you see more bespoke EVs and compare them to EVs built on ICE platforms, you start to appreciate the former’s better use of space.

While this isn’t a rule, bespoke EVs usually offer some storage under the hood, while those built on combustion car underpinnings don’t. One notable exception is the feature-packed Ford F-150 Lightning, which shares its underpinnings with the combustion F-150 yet has a huge 14.1-cubic-foot frunk.

3. Bigger Batteries

Making an EV on a dedicated platform also allows for bigger batteries to be included. The EVs with the biggest batteries and longest range all have bespoke EV underpinnings. This is because engineers take into account the need to have a huge battery in the floor of the vehicle, while those who re-engineer an ICE platform for EV use will have to make do with the already existing size constraints.

For instance, the longest-range electric sedan is the Lucid Air, which has a real-world range of up to 520 miles, was designed from the onset as an EV. This is thanks to a massive 118 kWh battery pack, which is bigger than most other electric sedan packs.

The BMW i7, which is the best EV if you’re after a limo-like experience, shares its CLAR (short for Cluster Architecture) platform with the fuel-burning 7 Series and most other rear-wheel drive models. Like the Lucid, it also has a big battery pack, but it only has a usable capacity of 101 kWh, and it will only take the i7 around 320 miles on one charge.

Another example is the Genesis Electrified G80, which, in spite of its slightly confused name, is the fully electric version of the G80 combustion engine sedan. It has an even smaller battery than the BMW, 87.2 kWh, and comparably less range, with a 282-mile EPA rating.

4. Lower Weight

Another advantage of making EVs on specially designed platforms is the resulting vehicles’ lower weight. Many of these EVs built on an ICE platform are noticeably heavier than a comparable bespoke EV of their size.

Take the BMW i7. It weighs over 5,820 pounds (2,640 kilograms), which is a lot even for a big and luxurious barge of its size. The gas-burning 7 Series equipped with the largest available engine and all-wheel drive, the 750i xDrive, is considerably lighter, with a weight of just under 4,500 pounds (2,040 kilograms).

Compare this to the Lucid Air, which does have a slightly smaller footprint than the i7, but it does have a bigger (and heavier) battery, and it weighs around 5,200 pounds (2,360 kg) in a similar dual-motor configuration as the xDrive BMW.

Another example comes straight from BMW’s eternal rivals at Mercedes-Benz, whose EQS sedan is built on a bespoke EV architecture (called the EVA platform), and it weighs around 5,540 pounds (2,515 kg), but it does have a very big 120 kWh battery and excellent range.

5. Improved Safety

One of the big advantages of buying a vehicle from Tesla, a manufacturer that has created all its EVs from scratch, is the remarkable safety of all vehicles in the range. All models, from the base Model 3 to the flagship Model X SUV, have excellent safety ratings, and this is courtesy of their use of a bespoke EV platform.

With the absence of a heavy combustion engine up front, the frontal area of the vehicle is essentially hollow, and, in the event of a frontal collision, there is no risk of the engine being pushed into the passenger compartment.

This means engineers can focus on making the entire front of the vehicle a crumple zone, which allows for the dissipation of the massive forces that cars are subjected to in an impact. If you look at crash test footage of Tesla vehicles or other midsize bespoke EVs and compare it to similar ICE models, you will notice the former protects passengers better. Vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2, Audi Q8 E-Tron, or Volkswagen ID.4 are all bespoke EVs with excellent crash protection ratings.

Repurposed ICE Cars Don’t Make the Best EVs

Building electric cars based on existing gas-burning models is an example of how manufacturers try to minimize the cost of producing a lineup of electric models. However, while this type of corner-cutting may have presented (financial) advantages at first, now that there are many very talented bespoke EVs on sale, the limitations of those sharing underpinnings with ICE cars have become very noticeable, and such vehicles are becoming less desirable.

If you’re in the market for an EV, do your research to discover its origin story, and you should prefer one that was engineered from the onset with battery power in mind. If you’re not sure an EV is right for you, then maybe pick one of the many long-range plug-in hybrids that may be a more suitable stepping stone for ICE vehicle owners.