Why are electric cars just as big and heavy as gasoline cars? And why do all the seats in self-driving cars face forward? Answer: because they do.

Until now, electric cars and self-driving vehicles have been novelties. They’re experimental versions of regular, human-driven, gasoline-powered vehicles. But that’s changing. Instead of just using a computer to turn the steering wheel and pedal, vehicles are changing to better serve their purposes. But that may be a while before that happens. After all, it’s one thing to buy an electric car, and another to keep it charged.

“I think over 50% of Americans wouldn't have reliable access to charging stations right now,” John Brownlee, an editor at Folks magazine, told Lifewire via Twitter, “even if the price of an electric car wasn't an issue.”

Let's take a look at some of these radical new designs.