Journal Roblimo's Journal: The modular car we can't buy... yet 1
A modern electric-drive hybrid car consists of a series of discrete mechanical systems, The major ones are:
- Electric motors (ideally built into the wheel assemblies)
- Batteries (drive the motors; recharged either when the car is plugged in or from an onboard generator system)
- Onboard generator/battery charger
- Power source for generator (can be gasoline engine, fuel cell, diesel... whatever)
- Computer-based control system (to make everything work smoothly together; also powers lights, turn signals, wipers, and other accessories)
- Brakes (same as in today's cars)
- Steering (same as in today's cars)
- Suspension (same as in today's cars)
- Chassis (hopefully better than in today's cars)
- Body (hopefully better than in today's cars)
- Passenger & cargo accomodations (seats, trunk, etc.)
- Amenities (A/C & heat, music players, phones, navigation, etc.)
Electric motors, batteries, generators, and onboard power source designs are going to change rapidly over the next decade. But what does not need to change, within broad limits, is their form factors. Just as there are standard sizes for desktop and server computer sub-sytems like motherboards, RAM, power supplies, and hard drive enclosures, we could have standard-sized automotive sub-systems.
One size will not fit all. A large manufacturer such as Toyota or General Motors would probably have three or four basic chassis sizes they'd use for passenger cars and light trucks, with (ideally) the ability to swap out some components between adjacent chassis sizes. This would mean they could produce, for example, a high-performance version of a small car by equipping it with the "next size up" electric motors, and possibly a higher-powered charging system. Or they could produce an "ultra-economy" light truck for local use by equipping it with the minimum-power electric moters needed for operation at or below typical urban freeway speeds and -- if the vehicle was never going to do intercity travel -- leaving out the charging system and its power source entirely in exchange for more cargo capacity.
I have listed chassis and body as separate sub-systems. Why not have a tube-frame or other integrated chassis with lightweight, molded body panels? Once you start thinking in modular terms, this allows production of a two-seat model with a cargo bed (pickup truck), 4/5 seat version with trunk (sedan), and many variants between these two basic extremes, from hatchbacks to convertibles, possibly with the "convertibles" being models with extra-large pull-open tops or removable hard-top panels.
A car you can upgrade for years to come
The biggest benefit of a modular vehicle isn't the chance to buy it in a variety of body styles or with varying "mix and match" amenities, but in the fact that it could be upgraded when technology inevitably advanced.
New, better batteries come on the market? Replace your old ones. They'll fit!
Want more power? Buy new, "one size up" electric motors!
Upgrade to four-wheel drive? That should be easy; a matter of changing two wheels and connecting new cables to the battery system and plugging control wiring for the new pair of motors into the control system. (Plus, most likely, a little control system reprogramming or replacement of a ROM chip.)
Hydrogen-powered fuel cell powerplants come on the market? Buy one and bolt it in!
And so on.
Even a crash.... most of the systems would probably still be fine. Yes, replacing some or all of the chassis and body would be a major job, but if parts were priced correctly (and a strong, competitive aftermarket would spring up and hold parts prices down) it would still be less costly than buying a whole new vehicle.
Planned obsolescence won't necessarily go away
Right now I'm faced with a binary choice regarding my 1994 Jeep Cherokee:
- Keep it, perform minimal repairs until it totally dies (has 180,000+ miles; little things like wiper motors and air conditioning parts are failing regularly)
- Replace it with an equivalent new (or at least newer) vehicle
A third "sort of" alternative would be to have all likely-to-wear-out parts replaced at the same time, from light bulbs to brake hoses and linings and cylinders/calipers to drive belts and coolants hoses. I have actually done two rounds of 100% hose/belt replacement on my Jeep, which is probably why it has only had one breakdown, ever, that stranded me at the side of the road.
But there is no reliable way to upgrade my Jeep and turn it into a "newer model." If I had that alternative, say at a cost of ~$12,000 instead of the $25,000+ a new (and in my opinion inferior) equivalent enclosed Jeep sells for today, I would probably go for it. As it is, though, I can't justify the cost of a new Jeep or similar vehicle, and if I want a used one.... well, that's what I already have, and I see no point in buying another used Jeep Cherokee unless the one I have now has some sort of catastrophic (i.e. engine or transmission) failure.
If I had a modular vehicle, I'd be in the market for an upgrade about now. An Chrysler and their local dealer (or an independent "upgrade shop") would be getting a whole bunch of money from me. Not as much as they might get by selling me a while new vehicle, but a whole more than the $0.00 they're going to get under the current system.
But I don't have a fully-modular, upgradable passenger vehicle, and neither does anyone else in the United States. It's sad that our automotive industry hasn't started to think in terms of modular, upgradable cars and light trucks, but so it goes. Even worse, when an enlightened auto manufacturer does move to a sensible system such as the one I've imagined here, I suspect that it will be one based in China, India or Korea, not in the United States.
I think I saw this in Popular Mechanics? (Score:2)