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A modular vehicle is one in which substantial components of the vehicle are interchangeable. This modularity is intended to make repairs and maintenance easier, or to allow the vehicle to be reconfigured to suit different functions.
Another application of modular vehicle design is to enable the exchange of batteries in an electric vehicle.
In a modular electric vehicle, the power system, wheels and suspension can be contained in a single module or chassis. When the batteries need recharging, the vehicle's body is lifted off and placed onto a fresh power module. By using this ''Modular Vehicle'' system, the vehicle's batteries do not have to be removed or reinstalled, and their connections remain intact.
The world's first road-licensed quick-change modular electric vehicle, based on a patent awarded to Dr Gordon E Dower in 2000, was shown at the
"GM's Race to the Future - the inside story of how the world's biggest automaker came to see the hydrogen car as its salvation - and took the lead in the engineering challenge of the century"
''Business 2.0'' Magazine, Oct 1, 2003. GM unveiled a drivable prototype, called Hy-wire at the Paris Auto Show in September, 2002. The name referred to the Hydrogen fuel and the "
"Vehicle body interchangeability"
/ref> Also, the modular chassis, with its batteries and motor, are relatively easy to work on, since there is no vehicle body to impede access.
Chernoff, Adrian B: Hy-wire webpage
2018 article on various modular concept vehicles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modular vehicle Automotive styling features Automotive technologies Automotive engineering Electric vehicle technologies Modular design
History of the modern modular vehicle
The world's first road-licensed quick-change modular electric vehicle, based on a patent awarded to Dr Gordon E Dower in 2000, was shown at the World Electric Vehicle Association
The World Electric Vehicle Association (WEVA) is an organization that promotes electric vehicles.
Member associations
It is composed of :
* The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)
* The Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific ...
2003 Electric Vehicle Symposium EVS-20 in Long Beach, California, USA.
Dower described the vehicle's two parts as its motorized deck, shortened to ''Modek'', and its "containing module" or ''Ridon''. When attached to each other, the vehicle thus formed was dubbed the ''Ridek''. Mechanical connections between the modules for braking and steering automatically engage when the body is lowered on to the chassis.
In 2004, General Motors attempted to patent a modular vehicle called ''Autonomy'' but the attempt was unsuccessful because Dower’s patent already existed.
A team at GM did, however, continue to work on Autonomy, which was intended to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. They unveiled a non-drivable version of their modular vehicle in January 2002 at the Detroit Auto Show.King, Ralph"GM's Race to the Future - the inside story of how the world's biggest automaker came to see the hydrogen car as its salvation - and took the lead in the engineering challenge of the century"
''Business 2.0'' Magazine, Oct 1, 2003. GM unveiled a drivable prototype, called Hy-wire at the Paris Auto Show in September, 2002. The name referred to the Hydrogen fuel and the "
Drive by wire
Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...
" system that electronically connected the vehicle modules for steering, braking and controlling the 4 wheel motors. Hy-wire did not go into production.
In the 2010s, a number of modular platforms were developed by car manufacturers. Geely Auto developed the Compact Modular Architecture platform
The Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) is a global mid-size unibody automobile platform, jointly developed by Volvo and Geely under their China Euro Vehicle Technology AB (CEVT) R&D banner.
Development began in 2013 with the goal of producing a ...
(2017), B-segment Modular Architecture platform The B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) is a global compact unibody automobile platform developed by Geely Auto. The architecture can be used to develop cars with a wheelbase between and with wheel track wheels ranging from . Its name derived fr ...
(2018), and Sustainable Experience Architecture platform (2021). PSA Group and Dongfeng developed the Common Modular Platform
Common Modular Platform (CMP) is a modular car platform which is jointly developed and used by French car manufacturer PSA Group (merged into Stellantis since 2021) and Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng. Debuted in 2018 with the release of the DS ...
(2018)
Flexibility
Modular vehicles make it possible to use different types of bodies, e.g. sedan, sports car or pickup truck, on one standardized chassis.Chernoff, Adrian B et al, 2003 US Patent"Vehicle body interchangeability"
/ref> Also, the modular chassis, with its batteries and motor, are relatively easy to work on, since there is no vehicle body to impede access.
See also
* Electric vehicles * Modular design *Rolling chassis
A rolling chassis is the chassis without bodywork of a motor vehicle ( car, truck, bus, or other vehicle), assembled with suspension and wheels.
Heavy vehicles
Separate chassis remain in use for almost all heavy vehicles ranging from pickup ...
* Skateboard (automotive platform)
A skateboard is a type of configuration for automotive chassis, used for automotive platforms of battery electric vehicles. The skateboard chassis includes a base structure or a platform, which houses the batteries, electric motors and other el ...
References
External links
Chernoff, Adrian B: Hy-wire webpage
2018 article on various modular concept vehicles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modular vehicle Automotive styling features Automotive technologies Automotive engineering Electric vehicle technologies Modular design