EV convertible... how hard can it be?

[ShortBeardy]

Many EVs are being designed with battery in the floor and subframes front and rear for suspension and driveline components. Given that the UI is all software driven it would appear that the bodyshell itself is little more than a structural frame and something to keep the wind and rain off. Would it be too demanding for someone like Tesla to make a 2 door convertible variant of the M3P...
Market too small?

[samoht]

1) EVs remain conventional monocoques like ICE cars, save the i3 I think.

2) The MG Cyberster exists

so it's perfectly doable, just a matter of prioritising the investment. I imagine more will arrive in the coming decade.

[ShortBeardy]

Yes monocoques, but in reality it is just a structure on to which the front and rear subframes are joined. The Model Y puts the interior on the battery and brings the whole lot up from underneath. My thinking was that given the UI is all electric/electronic, one could just change the shell and interior and much of the subframes and driveline would remain the same. Seems a lot simpler than ICE where the driveline and UI is more intimately connected to the shell/interior.

Unfortunately the Cyberster is not available in USA (where I live).

[Mr Squarekins]

Hybrid not EV, but battery in the floor running right down the middle:

[ShortBeardy]

An EV range of 20 miles is not really what I am looking for.

[Roboticarm]

The first Tesla was a soft top, basically a Lotus Elise reworked

[John87]

The Polestar 6 looks great but unfortunately not in production yet. No doubt cost a bit more than the cyberster though

[samoht]

I just remembered the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, even available in the US

https://www.caranddriver.com/maserati/grancabrio-f...

Just negotiate hard on price, I don't think residuals will hold up very well.

[ShortBeardy]

I did look at an original roadster a long while back when they were only 45k, but all up closer to 80+ now. However, big issue is they won't DC supercharge, so it's very compromised for any long trips away from home.

Ummmmm Maser is a bit pricey

[Zero Fuchs]

I think you're making light of what a body shell does TBH.

Removing a roof requires a lot of thought, work and effort.

[Cristio Nasser]

They’ll obviously come. But drop tops are a niche product at best, and will only come after the volume sectors have been satisfied and a demand identified.

An EV drop top I think would be a very pleasant and relaxing experience. Silently whooshing through the countryside, enjoying the sunshine and surrounding nature, akin to an e-bike sort of experience.

That said, you can buy the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore now in the US which is a BEV soft top. Not cheap, but it’s on dealer lots. I think the BEV Boxter will be the one to watch though. Supposedly due out “soon”, and will hopefully be priced a little more sensibly.

[Dog Biscuit]

The was a section on Radio 4 the other day about convertibles and the diminishing desirability in the general car buying population

I can't see many manufacturers at this stage rushing to invest and develop a niche car for a dwindling market when they are tyring to make the switchover the full on ev production

[ShortBeardy]

^ that is my worry

[ZesPak]

As above, I think Porsche can make it work.
What ICE convertible is actually still sold in meaningful numbers?
This is a list "all cars news" has for 2024:

1. Mini Convertible – 11,140 units, making it the most in-demand convertible overall
2. Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio – 6,110 units, the top mainstream convertible
3. Porsche 911 Cabriolet – 5,784 units
4. BMW 4 Series Cabriolet – 4,714 units
5. Mazda MX-5 – 3,545 units
6. BMW Z4 – 3,403 units
7. Porsche 718 Boxster – 3,303 units

I'm actually stumped about the sales numbers on a T-Roc. I think we'll see a MINI convertible EV at one point, Porsche is already working on the Boxster.
BMW I'm not sure and Mazda at this point is still very uninterested in pure EV.

[Erast Fandorin]

I wonder if BMW will offer an EV cabriolet derivative of the NK i3 to replace the 4 series?

[DMZ]

samoht said:

I just remembered the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, even available in the US

https://www.caranddriver.com/maserati/grancabrio-f...

Just negotiate hard on price, I don't think residuals will hold up very well.

OMG, an appealing looking EV. Why aren't there more of these?

[Gone fishing]

Many thought the Tesla Roadster 2 should have been a Model S in a different body and the running prototype they used back in 2019 was just that. I think that had removable roof panels/targa top so effectively a convertible in all but name. Musk kind of screwed up by promising unearthly performance figures and failed to put it into production despite it even being promised as recently as this time last year for early 2025.

BMW reusing the platform for ICE and EV on the 4 does suggest a coupe and convertible would be relatively easy, assuming the extra weight doesn’t compromise roll over safety, so one can only imagine research shows they’d just not sell enough. I’m sure I’ve read recently that convertibles are on the decline anyway. We had one in the drive until 3 years ago (20 years of SLKs followed by various Z4s) but nothing floats our boat now except maybe an ICE boxster, maybe the EV version will do it for us

[tr3a]

DMZ said:

OMG, an appealing looking EV. Why aren't there more of these?

Why don't you buy one?

[Moonpie21]

I expect you could go to Rolls Royce and get them to stick a Dawn body on a Spectre EV.

I could never afford it, but that has to be an approach with manufacturers like BMW, surely you can just stick a 4 series body on top of an I4 chassis/skateboard:

I4; length 4,783mm width 1,852mm wheelbase 2,856mm
4 series cabrio; 4,768mm width 1,852mm wheelbase 2,851mm

I feel it should just plonk right on. EV skateboards are rigid, should work wonders on a convertible...

[ShortBeardy]

Yup, `skateboard' contains most of the vehicle mass as it includes the battery and driveline components. Tesla crash tests noting that its very difficult to flip one, make an EV convertible a safer proposition (providing all else is equal).

I think the production figures reported above might be off as there were (allegedly) 12803 convertible corvettes sold in 2024, so perhaps these numbers are for UK registrations?