Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has slammed the design of certain electric vehicles after temporarily getting stuck inside one when he was filming the Channel 4 show.
The 65-year-old, who is a known petrolhead and fan of classic cars, can often be seen driving an electric car on Grand Designs, most notably a Polestar 2.
However, the presenter has recently spoken about the issues he found himself in during filming of a Grand Designs episode, which resulted in him having a “panic attack”.
Speaking to Jason Plato and Dave Vitty on the Fuelling Around podcast, he admitted that he had recently found himself in trouble when using an electric vehicle.
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Kevin McCloud admitted he had a ‘panic attack’ when he was trapped inside an electric car
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He said: “I was in this car the other day and I had a panic attack because I couldn’t get out of it.
“There was no door handle on the door. They were filming me getting out of the car, and I swear to God they can’t use the shot, because it’s me just with my hand flapping it around going: ‘Where’s the handle? Where’s the handle?’
“It turns out there’s a tiny button and it’s not even much. There’s got to be some kind of safety issue around that.”
McCloud said the “problem” he had with the support for new electric vehicles was that there was a “consensus” manufacturers would go back to “crazy interiors”.
He noted that this would include “weird designs and really odd buttons to do stupid things”. The Grand Designs host added that “it doesn’t make any sense”.
The developer has owned two BMW i3s and still drives an electric car, although he didn’t say which EV is his daily driver.
In addition to his BMWs, McCloud said he has “one or two runners” and several cars that are “in bits”. Among his personal favourites are a 1932 Marendaz, a 1921 Lancia Dikappa and a Fiat Dino from 1967.
McCloud, who has hosted Grand Designs for 25 years, added that he drives a lot of electric cars and continues to test new zero emission vehicles when he can.
He heaped specific praise on the BMW i3, calling it a “really fabulous car” which makes good use of environmentally friendly materials like panels made out of hemp fibre and bio-resin.
Despite the progress of electric vehicles among major manufacturers, McCloud said all brands are making “massive cars with massive electric batteries”, causing them to feel similar when behind the wheel.
He said: “This is the inevitable conclusion to a process of homogenization in car design that’s been happening for 30 years.
“If you didn’t have a logo on pretty well any modern car, you would not know what it was.”
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Kevin McCloud has been hosting Grand Designs for 25 years
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SUVs have overwhelmingly become the most popular new vehicle type in the UK, with drivers preferring to have a comfortable ride, even if they may be too big for parking spaces.
