EV manufacturers continue to struggle with the legacy ICE grille

Legacy ICE grille

When I saw it, I had to laugh. InsideEVs did a story on the new Mercedes-Benz GLC electric crossover essentially sporting a legacy ICE grille. The story noted that the car will get the “face of the future.”

And that face is clearly a massive legacy ICE grille that only proves that EV manufacturers continue to struggle with that old, clearly dated, front-of-the-car look.

This is particularly true of manufacturers born to build internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

There was a day when an actual grille was a necessity; an item that allowed air into the engine compartment that would then pass through a radiator and create the conditions needed to cool an internal combustion engine.

This set nearly in stone what the front of a car or truck would look like, a look that is simply no longer needed if you’re an electric vehicle (EV).

Even Tesla‘s first iteration of the Model S included a blacked out center nose, likely anticipating that the car would not look like a car otherwise and that sales would be hindered.

That nose was gone in a few years time.

But other manufacturers continue to struggle with what to do at the front of an EV, often defaulting to tried and true looks. But where Mercedes-Benz is headed just seems beyond comprehension.

To the right are two versions of upcoming EV front ends. The one at the far right is the “face of the future”, which will feature 942 illuminated pixels. Why? To make sure that deer get out of the way?

Actually, this points to another tendency of EV makers, which is to crowd vehicles with as many LEDs as possible and create useless light shows on start-up and shut down and when a driver wants to show off.

Well maybe we all like toys enough for this to be worthwhile.

But the sheer size of legacy grilles must have a negative impact on an EV’s range. The new grilles from Mercedes are, in fact, intended evoke classic shapes from older models such as the S-Class.

Companies are essentially stuck with the look created long ago when a grille was actually a necessary and functioning part of an ICE vehicle. Clearly the lovely Mercedes hood or grille emblem is not enough…

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