Interchangable shell idea.

sebastianlieken

***MODS, I meant to post this in the regular motoring forum ... my bad, sorry! ***

Nissan doctor wrote: »

This post from Nissan Doctor got me thinking of a conceptual idea that I vaguely remember seeing James May present on some TV show.

The premise of the idea was for a Hydrogen fuel-cell car where you had the bottom bit which was esentially the mechanical gubbins of the car including chassis, engine, drive-train, and wheels/suspension etc. The cool part was that the top part of the car would have standard attachment points to fit to the bottom to change from one shell to another.

I'm just thinking how cool it would be if you could buy the bottom part for a bit less than the price of a new car, let's say 20k. You can then buy the top bit of your preference for say 5or 6k depending on what spec you want.

This opens up lots more opertunities:-

you're bored of your car after 2 years? buy a new shell from elsewhere for 4 or 5 k again, or splash out and get a bmw shell for 8k. Have the engine re-mapped for more power / different sound - and hey presto - essentially a new car for a fraction of the cost!

second hand market and a swap/trade market for body shells as well as mechanical bits underneath

Small private companys making specialised interiors to a standardised platform, lets them comete with the big boys more easily.

They could sell small/medium/large mechanical platforms for mini,fiat 500, twingo/mondeo, 3-series, A4 / 6 series, range rover, etc. (they already basically do this already, I mean a more open availability)

A mechaics job would potentially become alot less hastle as seen from the above picture.



Am I mad, or would this work?

My guess is that from a technical spand point it would work - and that the only brick wall is that of politics.

would anyone here even like an automotive system like this? (and I know you could customise your own car already, but I mean going from having a Renault Grand Espace one day, and a Range rover the next day - for a tiny fraction of the cost. (or just have both shells at home, one for the kids, one for a weekend break)


***MODS, I meant to post this in the regular motoring forum ... my bad, sorry! ***

defforirl

I like your thinking but a seperate chassis and body is actualy a more expensive way to manufacture a car of any type. Every car type would need to have the same drive configuration, ground clearance, wheel base and track......so many people cant handle a vehicle as big as a range rover so they opt for a physically smaller car, this would no longer be an option. Car parking spaces would have to be made bigger etc.

Nissan doctor

GM I think had this concept a few years ago. They had a hydrogen cell platform that could have a sports car, saloon car, MPV etc etc body fitted on top.

Manufacturers are essentially already doing this, albeit not bolt on bolt off like the RR above. Most manufacturers have developed platforms that are then used for various different cars.

dgt

Yes.... Coach builders did that in the 10's 20's and 30's.....

Dord

VW Beetles had separate frame and body. They're quite commonly used as the basis of kit cars because of this.

Rolling chassis with engine

dgt

Dord wrote: »

VW Beetles had separate frame and body. They're quite commonly used as the basis of kit cars because of this.

Rolling chassis with engine

+1

Here's a Jetta grafted onto a Beetle




Told ya it was a Beetle floor....



From here

Sam Russell

It wasn't till the 1950s that RollsRoyce started to make bodies. They just made the rolling chassis. Bodies were fitted by coach builders like Mulliners.

You can get cars that are convertibles as well. Latest ones have metal tops that fold away - quite smart.

But swapable bodies? Never - costs too much and there are too many connections with the chassis to body to make it workable. Years ago, before electronics and safety, perhaps.

biko

I think that's the idea behind a re-body kit car?

There is a sub-set of kit cars, commonly referred to as a "re-body" in which a commercially manufactured vehicle has a new (often fiberglass) body put on the running chassis.

Of course they use existing tech and not hydrogen tech but yeah..

Matt Simis

Every car would handle the same and a cars identity would be nothing more than cosmetics! The idea would work best for EV's of the micro/Urban runabout size, which are not cars as we know them today anyway.

Once such EVs get cheap enough, they will be like fashion accessories or laptops/tablets, quickly in and out of fashion and disposable.

Joe 90

biko wrote: »

I think that's the idea behind a re-body kit car?

Of course they use existing tech and not hydrogen tech but yeah..

There was a fairly large range of bodies for the old Ford chassis, back in the days of Ford side valve engines. Names like Turner, Rochdale come to mind.

Joe 90

Matt Simis wrote: »

Every car would handle the same and a cars identity would be nothing more than cosmetics! The idea would work best for EV's of the micro/Urban runabout size, which are not cars as we know them today anyway.

Once such EVs get cheap enough, they will be like fashion accessories or laptops/tablets, quickly in and out of fashion and disposable.

You could well be talking about todays white goods cars.:)

Nissan doctor

Nissan doctor wrote: »

GM I think had this concept a few years ago. They had a hydrogen cell platform that could have a sports car, saloon car, MPV etc etc body fitted on top.

Manufacturers are essentially already doing this, albeit not bolt on bolt off like the RR above. Most manufacturers have developed platforms that are then used for various different cars.

I knew I had a pic somewhere of the GM platform concept....

mb1725

The cut of that yoke nearly put me off me dinner! :eek::eek:

darragh o meara

mb1725 wrote: »

The cut of that yoke nearly put me off me dinner! :eek::eek:

Wouldn't be the best yoke for speed bumps but 10 out of 10 for creativity. Can't be too many of them around