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| REE CEO and co-founder Daniel Barel on the biggest of the current range of skateboards. |
I put my head on the block back in 2013, predicting that the current assembly line approach is already outdated and instead of giant car factories churning out thousands of exact copies by the hour, the waning numbers of future petrolheads who will want to own cars (instead of just hailing a flying taxi) will order customised rides from tiny companies. Israeli company REE have now showed their final models of the platforms these customised rides could be based on.
Also read: End of the car is nearer
“The fundamental structure of the automotive industry is evolving into a mission specific vehicle with modularity being key, structured in three layers — the platform providers, the service providers and the data providers — all working together to create new vehicles and new services tailored to customers’ needs in a fast changing world. REE is here to lead the industry and set the path for future platforms,” said REE CEO and co-founder Daniel Barel.
Toyota was first to follow this lead, having partnered with REE on the electric range of Hino “Flatformer” trucks, which range in size from passenger shuttles to garbage trucks.
Mahindra recently also signed an MoA with REE to develop and build electric vehicles. They are looking at producing up to a quarter of a million skateboard-based vehicles.
Watch: REE Hino Flatformer
The REE “skateboard” comprises of a flat battery pack that acts as the plank in the skateboard, and on each corner, a hubwheel.
Each hubwheel contains the entire drivetrain, suspension and brakes. These two modules enable what Barel said are limitless design possibilities.
REE’s current models include a 1,3-ton last-mile delivery buggy, a 2,5-ton passenger and cargo transport, and a 4,5-ton delivery van designed for U.S. market use.
But that is just the top.
The hubwheels on the corners are where the true revolution (excuse the pun) hides, as these wheels can be ordered to turn the skateboard into an all-wheel-drive, cross-country racer with active-suspension, or a narrow three-wheeler for a sedate ride in the bicycle lane.
Steering is not by wire, but by signal and can even be done by remote control, as Ree demonstrated during the launch of their latest three models.
No design is perfect and the REE has its drawbacks in the heavy unsprung weight of all that hardware hiding in the hub, which endows the REE skateboard with the hard-riding characteristics of, well, a skateboard.
But a too bumpy ride is also the problem all “normal” drivers have with any car that rides on rock-hard, race-tuned suspension.
Hence, I will wiggle my head further onto the block, and predict that the assembly line of the very near future will be broken up into many small car builders who will bolt, strap and even glue any shape you desire on top of a platform that may have three, four or six hub wheels, depending on the payload.
