ELECTRIC VEHICLE DESIGN FOR UZBEKISTAN CONDITIONS: CLIMATE, ROAD AND ANTHROPOMETRY FACTORS

Abstract

Uzbekistan is at a crossroads. On one side, the government has set an ambitious target of reaching 20% electric vehicle (EV) share of new car sales by 2030, with Uz Auto Motors already rolling out the first locally assembled EV — the Chevrolet Equinox EV. On the other side, Uzbekistan’s environment presents conditions that no existing mass-market EV was designed to handle simultaneously: summer temperatures that regularly exceed +45 °C in Surkhandarya, winter lows of −30 °C in the Fergana Valley mountains, road surfaces where fewer than 38% of inter-city highways meet the smoothness standards of EV-optimized platforms, and a population whose average body height differs measurably from the European and East Asian anthropometric benchmarks underpinning most EV interior designs. This article presents a systematic analysis of three critical design factors — climate, road infrastructure, and anthropometry — and their specific implications for EV architecture, battery thermal management, suspension tuning, and interior ergonomics in the Uzbekistan context. Based on field data, national statistics, and a comparative review of international EV design standards, practical design adaptation recommendations are developed for manufacturers operating in or supplying to the Uzbekistan market. The findings demonstrate that a standardized global EV platform, without targeted regional adaptation, can lose 28–41% of its rated range in peak Uzbekistan summer conditions, and that interior ergonomic mismatches affect an estimated 34% of the Uzbek adult driver population.