In addition to vehicle weight and the frontal area of the vehicle, the aerodynamic coefficient has the greatest influence on the consumption, and therefore the range, of an electric vehicle. Carelessly ignoring the aerodynamic coefficient cw would be a big mistake, because in practice it is one of the most influential factors on the economy of the vehicle. And if we had not questioned this value in the TWIKE 5 in particular and optimized it with the help of powerful simulation software, the consumption would probably have been 2 kWh higher instead of the 7 kWh/100km that is now possible. In practice, this optimization, which seems inconspicuous at first glance, allows a range of around 120 km more without having to accommodate more battery in the vehicle, which would also have increased the weight.
In order not to slow down the development process, we concentrated on the front and rear sections. On the one hand, no particular improvements were to be expected on the hood arranged in the middle of the vehicle, the windscreen frame and the windscreen secured in accordance with registration law, and on the other hand, design decisions had already been made here that were in a complex relationship with each other.
The design adjustment to the rear section will be most noticeable, which has also been stretched slightly in length with the optimization routine. However, the front section has also been slightly smoothed, which will slightly change the overall appearance and, in our opinion, even improve it.
We will announce the resistance coefficient determined from the simulation at a later date and also provide a deeper insight into the process, the software used and the experts involved. Until then, stay tuned!
