Dutch students create modular electric car "you can repair yourself"
A team of students from the Eindhoven University of Technology has built a prototype electric car with a built-in toolbox and components that can be easily repaired or replaced without specialist knowledge.
The university's TU/ecomotive group, which focuses on developing concepts for future sustainable vehicles, describes its ARIA concept as "a modular electric city car that you can repair yourself".
ARIA, which stands for Anyone Repairs It Anywhere, is constructed using standardised components including a battery, body panels and internal electronic elements that can be easily removed and replaced if a fault occurs.
With assistance from an instruction manual and a diagnostics app that provides detailed information about the car's status, users should be able to carry out their own maintenance using only the tools in the car's built-in toolbox, the TU/ecomotive team claimed.
The project demonstrates how an alternative design approach could enable car owners to undertake minor fixes without relying on the manufacturer or a network of suppliers and specialised technicians.
The aim was to challenge current manufacturing practices, which make electric vehicles difficult to repair, as parts can be hard to obtain and batteries are often integrated into the chassis.
"We want to show the automotive industry that sustainable and practical design really is achievable," said TU/ecomotive team leader Taco Olmer. "If we can build this within a year, there are opportunities for the industry."
Legislation adopted by the European Union in 2024 already requires manufacturers to provide tools, parts and repair information for many electronic products. But electric cars have so far been left out of the scheme.
The designers hope that the project will encourage policymakers to improve Right to Repair directives, while providing a case study for automotive manufacturers to follow when designing future EVs.
"With ARIA, we show what is possible and hope to encourage the EU to apply those rules to passenger cars as well," Olmer explained.
One of ARIA's key innovations is the inclusion of a battery pack comprising six smaller 12-kilogram batteries that can be detached and replaced by hand.
The vehicle's exterior consists of quick-release body panels that offer instant access to components behind and can also be replaced if they get damaged.
The car's design displays a simple, compact body shape with eye-catching scissor doors that open upwards. It weighs a total of 650 kilograms and has a theoretical commercial range of up to 220 kilometres, according to TU/ecomotive.
The team from TU Eindhoven collaborated on the ARIA electric vehicle with students from the Fontys University of Applied Sciences and vocational education provider Summa.
Over the past decade, TU/ecomotive has developed 10 different vehicles aimed at showcasing opportunities within the field of sustainable mobility.
The team of just 30 students demonstrates how unconventional methods can achieve innovations that could be adopted on a larger scale by mainstream automotive manufacturers.
Other innovative electric vehicles that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a customisable low-cost electric truck and futuristic alternatives to the rickshaws used across India.
The photograph is by Sarp Gürel.
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