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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 World Electric Vehicle Association 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
"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 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
The Hy-wire (Hydrogen drive-by-wire) is a concept car from General Motors originally introduced in January 2002. The car runs on hydrogen fuel cells and uses a drive-by-wire system, meaning that the car is controlled electronically. GM asked schoo ...
at the Paris Auto Show in September, 2002. The name referred to the Hydrogen fuel and the " Drive by wire" 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
Geely Auto is the primary car marque of Chinese group Geely. Listed as Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and controlled through holdings in Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Geely Auto is ZGH's mainstream brand primarily s ...
developed the Compact Modular Architecture platform (2017), B-segment Modular Architecture platform (2018), and Sustainable Experience Architecture platform
The Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform is a modular electric vehicle platform developed by Geely Holding. The platform is planned to be deployed to Geely Holding portfolio brands along with the Smart joint venture with Daimler AG. ...
(2021). PSA Group and Dongfeng developed the Common Modular Platform (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
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...
* Modular design
Modular design, or modularity in design, is a design principle that subdivides a system into smaller parts called ''modules'' (such as modular process skids), which can be independently created, modified, replaced, or exchanged with other modules ...
* Rolling chassis
* Skateboard (automotive platform)
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