Carpods.

The future of transportation is a bit smudgy and clouded, with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars producing a fair whack of pollution directly, and manufacturing any vehicles involves yet more pollution and consumed resources. We should be buying fewer cars, not making million of EVs and Hydrogen vehicles on top of the billions of rusting vehicles all over the planet.

Most people, though, are seemingly unwilling to give up their private vehicles, at least, not until the public perception and culture shift away from this flagrant waste of resources. Most families these days have two cars, and with the increasing number of families with adult children still staying at home to save money or because no suitably priced accommodation can be had, there may be three cars or even more.

One reason for the durable demand for such ostentatious wastes of wealth is that we get used to having our living space around us even when travelling.

My car has my cups and a water bottle and some fishing gear in case I ever get a chance to sit somewhere and fish, a small light table so that if Kerry and I ever stop somewhere we’ll have a spot to place a meal we either brought with us or bought to picnic with. I’d hate to lose those comforts.

Still other people have a need for a car they can access readily, for reasons such as medical treatment, being on call for an elder relative, and so forth.

And the pity is that the average car spends between 75% and 95% of its time parked. Depreciating in value. Plastic perishing, metal oxidising. Wasting away. And when it’s time to get rid of the car, there are disposal issues galore. Oils and other fluids, refrigerant, plastics and foam padding and electronics decomposing into toxic components. Tyres, unrecycleable window glass, lithium batteries if it;’s an EV, catalyst-laden tanks if it’s a hydrogen or ammonia vehicle.

We’re getting more of a handle on these kinds of waste but wouldn’t it be great if we built some durability into them? EVs with batteries designed to last a long time and be easily recyclable, that sort of thing?

And we know why THAT ain’t gonna happen, because if we made things that long-lasting there wouldn’t be as many models needing to be developed and sold each year, the costs would be too prohibitive for the average car user. But perhaps there’s a way.

Pod Cars!

If you wanted everyone to still have a car, you could maybe split the car into two parts: a passenger module and a skateboard chassis.

The passenger module can stay in your driveway on fixed supports. It’s the bit you purchase and it’s far cheaper than a whole car, you can fill the interior and make it your space, and it’s just a solid crash-proof capsule with all the usual things inside. It can be any style you want, as long as it fits a standard skateboard.

A skateboard is the bit of EVs that holds the batteries, motors and wheels, and bump bars. This bot can be made as durable and recyclable as possible, and is the bit you need when you want to use your car.

You want to go to the shops, you message your car engine bits (i.e. the skateboard) and it drives itself to your place, which in most cases should be 5-10 minutes to wait, and drives itself under your car body and they dock. Now you can drive off in your whole car.

Your body module contains your car control module so the skateboard knows whether you prefer Mozart or Skrillex, your toll details, your maps and favourite destinations – everything your complete car would do. Because your body has the computer, the skateboard only has the intelligence to drive itself from a base to whatever car has called it.

And “your” skateboard? Is the leased part of the vehicle. It comes to you fully charged every time, is available wherever you park your car for the night, and fully interchangeable, so you can drive until safe driving range is close to being reached, park, send your skateboard away, call for a skateboard and be on your way.

This way, the manufacturer can sell you the car body for a much reduced price, and make their money from the lease of the skateboard. If they make those skateboards as durable as possible, they’ll earn much more than they would have from selling you a whole car. You get an affordable body and spread the rest of payments out over the life of your use of the system.

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