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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. ==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,〔Dower, Gordon E, 2000, US Patent: ("Modular vehicle construction and transportation system" )〕 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''〔Patent application 10/966,548, filed 10/15/2004, assigned General Motors, lead inventor Adrian B Chernoff〕 but the attempt was unsuccessful because Dower’s patent already existed.〔Patent 10/966/548,denied 2/23/2006, Attorney docket no: GP -3015791/GM0268PUS-1〕 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 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「modular vehicle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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