modular electric city car you can repair yourself shows the future road of fixable vehicles

ARIA lets drivers fix their own modular electric city car

Meet ARIA, the modular electric city car created by the student team TU/ecomotive that drivers can repair themselves. Designed to last longer, the vehicle changes the status quo in the automotive industry by giving the users more control over repairs and maintenance instead of relying on manufacturers and shops. The main idea behind ARIA is simple: a car that people can fix themselves and that is functional for daily use and more sustainable over time. The modular electric city car is built from separate parts that work as modules, including the battery units, the body panels, and the electronic elements inside the car. 

When one part stops working, the user replaces only that part, so there’s no need to visit a dealer, and it reduces long repair times and high repair costs. The design helps users save time and money, and it reduces waste because working parts do not get thrown away. The battery system shows this approach clearly, too, because usually, electric cars have one large battery that sits deep inside the chassis. If there is a failure, the entire pack often needs to be removed with special tools. ARIA uses just six small battery modules, each module weighing around 12 kilos. A user can lift one out by hand, and it works in the same simple way as removing household batteries from a remote control. This means a user can replace one broken module at home without touching the other five.

all images courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology | photos by Sarp Gürel

Vehicle parts that owners themselves can replace 

The exterior of the modular electric city car follows the same logic because ARIA’s body panels attach to the car like clip-on pieces. If a panel gets damaged, the user clicks it off and clicks a new one on, so they don’t need to repaint or rebuild a part of the body. When a user removes a panel, the inside components become visible and accessible, allowing the user to check wires or small parts and replace them without taking the car to a shop. The system was created by a student from Summa, with their team coming from the group in TU Eindhoven and Fontys. The design of the vehicle responds to a growing problem that any electric city cars are hard to repair. Their batteries are built into the frame, the parts are not standard, and independent garages often cannot get the correct components. 

Technicians trained to handle EV battery systems are also limited, which brings long waiting times, and because of this, some vehicles are discarded even when most of the parts still work. ARIA tries to solve this by giving repair power back to users. The modular electric city car includes clear manuals, standard parts, a toolbox inside the car, and an app that shows the car’s condition and helps users understand what is wrong and which part needs attention. This supports the idea of the Right to Repair, which says that users should be able to fix the products they own. The EU has new rules that support repair rights, but these rules focus on household appliances and electronics. The team hopes ARIA encourages policymakers to expand the rules to cars as well to enlighten manufacturers on how they can lower global waste and show that any user should be able to fix their own modular electric city car.

Meet ARIA, the modular electric city car created by the student team TU/ecomotive

the doors swing upwards

the main idea behind ARIA is simple: a car that people can fix themselve

the modular electric city car is built from separate parts that work as modules

the student teams from TU Eindhoven, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and Summa College

inside the fixable vehicle

detailed view of the steering wheel

view of the toolbox included in the vehicle

view of the two seats with ample cushioning for driving comfort

project info:

name: ARIA

institutions: TU Eindhoven, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Summa | @tueindhoven, @fontys_hogeschool, @summaonderwijs

photographer: Sarp Gürel | @sarpgurelphotography, @sarpgrl

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