The Stackable Light Electric Vehicle

The idea of a stackable light electric vehicle described on this page is meant to facilitate the implementation of highly flexible carsharing networks as it would allow to relocate significantly more vehicles in order to balance unequal distribution of vehicles between rental stations and to allow for reliable, even availability of vehicles. The ambition is to relocate 20 vehicles at once using a semi-trailer truck:

The proposed vehicles are two-seated light electric vehicles of the L7e category with a maximum empty weight (without batteries) of 450 kg, a maximum motor output of 15 kW and a maximum top speed of 90 km/h. Compared to other vehicles of this class, the stackable light electric vehicle is rather small in height, but large in horizontal projection. Thus, it is suitable for the intended rural and suburban area of use. In urban areas, where public space is scarce, cycling and public transport is the even better alternative than carsharing.

The following solution approaches are applied in order to stack as many light electric vehicles one above the other:

• The vehicle has relatively flat, compact sections at the front and the rear end, accommodating battery and powertrain. These parts are of less height than the intended vertical offset between the stacked vehicles.
• The side panels are more inclined compared to other cars.
• Stacked vehicles are alternately turned by 180 degree around their vertical axis and have the rear wheels closer to the center of the vehicle than the front wheels. Thus, there is a horizontal offset of the wheels, allowing for a vertical offset between the vehicles smaller than the wheel diameter. For this solution, the wheels must be completely outside the car body.
• The passenger cabin has a rigid roof, but the bottom can be folded into the vehicle. This allows the lower vehicle to penetrate the upper one.
• In order to remove obstacles inside the passenger cabin before stacking vehicles, the seat is folded under the roof, the steering wheel is moved towards the windshield and the pedals are shifted into the front area.
• A system of knobs and brackets makes sure, that wheels and suspension of the lowest vehicle will not carry the weight of the whole stack.

With an offset of 28,5 cm, stacks of up to five vehicles can be accommodated on a conventional semi-trailer. The eyelets on the roof of the vehicle facilitate picking up and setting down the vehicles using a truck-mounted crane.

Using the stacking feature for more space-saving vehicle storage at the rental station would be theoretically conceivable, but the space savings will probably not justify the necessity of a stationary crane.

About general feasibility and principle function of highly flexible carsharing in rural and suburban areas see the Carsharing 90|10 Concept.