Want to tinker with your electric car yourself? A team of Dutch students from the Technical University proves that it is possible. They developed an electric city car that is easy to repair and therefore lasts longer.
Users can repair the car themselves more easily and are no longer dependent on the manufacturer for minor repairs. With their ‘concept car’, the students want to inspire the car industry and at the same time challenge European policymakers.
The Ford Model T as inspiration
One of the first successful cars for the man in the street was the iconic Ford Model T from 1908. It was an easy-to-produce model that even came with a toolkit! Now, more than 125 years later, it is time for the first electric car to focus on simplicity and repairability. Students are taking the lead in this. On 25 November, they unveiled the ARIA: a modular electric city car that you can repair yourself.
Discarded too quickly
And that is sorely needed. Electric cars are becoming increasingly difficult to repair, according to the Technical University’s website. “Batteries are often fixed in the chassis, parts are not standardised and difficult for independent garages to obtain. In addition, there is a shortage of specialised mechanics, which means repairs take longer and become more expensive. The result: cars are discarded sooner than necessary.”
Repairability as a new mindset
Repairability is not only a technical challenge, it also requires a different mindset, we learn from the students. For example, they succeeded in reducing the use of glue from 10-15 kilograms to 250 grams. They also designed a screw system that makes it easy to replace all loose parts. And just like the Ford, the car comes with a toolbox so that common repairs can be carried out quickly by the owner. Finally, there is a special app that allows you to diagnose problems on your phone. 
Fons Weijts from a local Repair Café gave an enthusiastic presentation
Kudos to the new generation!
Fons Weijts, former Philips employee and founder of a local Repair Café, sees a bright future for such comprehensive diagnostic capabilities. “These apply to other devices as well, because finding the problem always takes a lot of time,” he explains during an enthusiastic presentation. Peter Muileboom, volunteer at a Repair Café, has always worked in automotive engineering. Will ARIA ever become a reality? He thinks there is still a long way to go. So it’s all the better that a new generation, in the spirit of Ford, is designing a car that anyone can repair. Repair Café International says: kudos!
Fons Weijts inspects ARIA
It would be a good learning curve if you had some kind of schematic drawing you could share with us for the basic understanding of an EV
Great news! Put my name on your ordering list. Get it patent and start production. I think it is about time that this type of hands on repair hits the market.
Great initiative, well done and good luck!
Some of us who are now owners of ageing electric cars, are painfully aware of how poor the market and regulations are to help us keep these vehicles on the road and out of landfill.
In my case (a Bolloré BlueCar owner) it is astonishing at how abruptly the manufacturer has abandoned us all, with no service or parts network, and no repair manuals available.
It is astonshing that environmental and consumer “protections” can allow this to happen, with government agencies and polticians utterly disengaged, in France at least.
Wishing you all the best,
Desmond
I am psyched! Congratulations, team, and I want to buy one of these!
I want to buy one but where does the battery come from?
can we the car so we can use a A.C. motor
I think the students make a good point – I know that Electric car manufacturers do not keep repair in mind.
One issue that any Manufacturer also needs to think about though is parts being stolen off cars. Although they will not have the exhaust stolen 🙂 other parts are available !!!
Fab news – now just need an affordable electric campervan for me and my greyhound/s!
When is the production line starting?