Abstract
The introduction of alternative powertrain technologies has brought increased design freedom in spaces within a vehicle that were previously constrained by traditional ones. Such freedom will affect the overall architecture and appearance of future alternative cars. However, these vehicles require the design, development, and integration of new specific components that are not relevant in conventional combustion-driven cars. This paper is a short review of challenges and methodological approaches regarding the design for changeability in future alternative vehicle production and design, and in particular, of methods coping with interchangeability. Modularity is seen as an appealing design approach that supports vehicle manufacturers for a wider spectrum of different interchangeable technologies, involving both production processes and products. The concepts of modularity in production, modularity in design, modularity in use, and technical modularity are here presented. © 2013 IEEE.