Eindhoven students develop easy-to-repair electric car

The prototype of a new electric car developed by students from Eindhoven University of Technology, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and Summa College is being presented today, the universities reported. The students say the design makes the car cheaper and easier to maintain, with easily replaceable parts.

Maintenance is managed through a phone app that communicates with the car. The ARIA includes a built-in toolbox. “The app shows which tools you need and provides the documentation required for the repair,” Taco Olmer of Eindhoven University of Technology’s TU/ecomotive team said on RTL's morning news broadcast. “Step by step, it explains what you need to do.”

The ARIA has six small batteries instead of one large one, allowing them to be removed and replaced by hand. “We designed the ARIA so that you can simply pull out the battery from the side of the car in a way that is safe for the average person,” Olmer said.

The car is not yet ready for the commercial market, but the students hope it will inspire the automotive industry.

“ARIA is our tenth concept car,” Olmer said. “The goal of this car is for it to be as easy as possible for the average consumer to repair.”

He added, “I could give this car to my mother. If it doesn’t start early in the morning, she could figure out herself what’s wrong. She would have the tools needed to repair the car herself, and she could carry out the repair herself.”