It’s been a few years since the first modern-era electric cars started to become available to the masses, and even though they haven’t exactly set the market on fire, they’re slowly gaining pace in the automotive marketplace.

Over the next few years, we’re going to see many new battery-powered models going on sale, be that with pure electric drivetrains like the BMW i3 or EV’s with a range extender such as the Cadillac ELR Coupe.

Along with carmakers, automotive designers are also preparing for the things to come. Erik Sætre, a Norwegian Industrial design-engineering student who is currently doing an exchange year at the UK’s Coventry University, sent CarScoop a concept study he created for an all-electric Volkswagen four-door coupe named the Ayoreo.

“The Volkswagen Ayoreo is a coupe designed to enter the EV market in 2013,” Sætre tells us. “The goal was to achieve a fairly simple and clean surface language with incorporated industrial elements, like its rear view cameras. A more affordable option than the Tesla S, but hopefully a more appealing one then the Nissan Leaf.”

Sætre imagined the five-seater model with four in-wheel electric motors producing a total of 240-horsepower.

For more pictures of the VW concept, scroll down for the photo gallery.

Design Credits and thanks go to Erik Sætre

PHOTO GALLERY

VW-Ayoreo-8VW-Ayoreo-2VW-Ayoreo-3VW-Ayoreo-4VW-Ayoreo-5VW-Ayoreo-6VW-Ayoreo-7VW-Ayoreo-8VW-Ayoreo-9VW-Ayoreo-10VW-Ayoreo-11VW-Ayoreo-12VW-Ayoreo-1VW-Ayoreo-13VW-Ayoreo-14VW-Ayoreo-15VW-Ayoreo-16VW-Ayoreo-17VW-Ayoreo-18VW-Ayoreo-19VW-Ayoreo-20