[ELI5] Why do electric cars have a similar shape to regular cars when they don’t need to?

Question

I’ve always wondered why electric cars are designed to resemble regular cars so closely, even though they don’t require the same components like the internal combustion engine. It seems like this would be an opportunity to create a more practical and efficient design. Can someone explain why electric cars are shaped the way they are?

In: 7

Answer 1

Telo and Canoo look, to me, like they’re breaking the traditional molds, but who knows if these startups can make production or if they’ll forever be vaporware.

And if they can’t make it to production, how much of that is because people can’t stand to be seen in something a little different?