For a quarter million US dollars, it better be good!
Years ago, I played around with the concept of a modular vehicle– really what a pick up with camper or the military version of the HUMVEE are. My idea was to have what was basically a van nose and flatbed that modules could be attached to. The modules could have their own stands or a rolling gantry could grab them from the sides and they could be pushed into the garage. Even customized outdoor storage shelters could be made for them. Modules could be made for passengers, camping, portable workshop, office, etc. The modules could also be dropped on a trailer, so you could have the passenger module on the powered vehicle and tow the camper module behind. Once a standardized platform was developed, a whole cottage industry could arise to make modules, or bare shells could be bought from the manufacturer to be customized.
I had a simular modular idea for electric cars. Range is one of the biggest problems for electric vehicles. I was putting a recharged battery into an electric screwdriver one day and the idea hit me that you could have a standardized tunnel built into electric cars to store the batteries. You would buy the car without a battery and then go to the battery station, as you would the gas station, where a freshly charged battery would be slid into place. You could travel cross country, swapping batteries as needed. Rather than going to the Chevron station to get your gas, you would go to the Eveready or Duracell station to get your battery. As technology improved, you would use the same size battery container, but it might deliver more power or weigh less, just like flashlight batteries have over the years. You could still charge the battery pack at home. People living in more remote areas could have a couple to swap and recharge as needed. I would hope that competition would help develop better battery technology.
My wife and I want to make one of the teardrop sleeping trailers to travel with and tow with our Camry. I had an idea to make it from strip planks in the way that canoes and wood sea kayaks are made. It would have a smooth aerodynamic shape, the beauty of the wood strips, and be very light weight. The monocoque design should be very strong for its weight too, like an airplane. It could be built around the flat plywood base and a couple divider bulkheads left inside, as well as removable ones. The trailer chassis could be one of the knock-down units sold in hardware stores. http://www.trailerworks.biz/teardrop.html is just one builder. The rear galley style kitchens in the teardrop trailers are really clever.
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