OPEN MODULAR VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE
Keep the platform.
Renew the possibilities.
An open vehicle concept built around a durable chassis, replaceable subsystems, and serviceable interfaces.
Concept initiated by Rocky Hardie · September 2026 · Draft 0.1
The automobile need not be a tightly integrated product that becomes increasingly difficult to repair as it ages. OMVA proposes a long-lived platform whose shorter-life subsystems can be removed, repaired, replaced, or improved.
Standardize the interfaces, not every implementation.
Design the repair into the architecture.
A failed subsystem should come out as a module. A known-good module goes in, and the removed assembly can be rebuilt on a workbench rather than deep inside the vehicle.
A long-life backbone
The chassis provides defined mounting locations and physical and digital interfaces for the rest of the vehicle.
Exchangeable power modules
Engine, motor, transmission, and drive systems designed around documented envelopes, connections, and service access.
Replaceable assemblies
Corner modules, steering, thermal systems, electronics, and interior parts designed for practical repair and renewal.
Open, readable interfaces
Mechanical, electrical, fluid, data, diagnostic, and versioning requirements available to owners and independent builders.
AI supports condition-aware maintenance.
Diagnostics and predictive maintenance could identify degradation and help combine service tasks before failures strand a driver. Human-readable and machine-readable specifications would support compatibility checks.
Open does not mean unvalidated.
Safety-critical systems still require validated materials, controlled manufacturing, traceability, independent safety logic, and physical testing. This is a concept framework for engineering discussion, not a validated vehicle safety standard or a production-ready design.
Build an ecosystem around repair.
Defined interfaces could make room for independent module manufacturers, refurbishment, and local production of appropriate non-safety-critical parts. The objective is greater owner choice and less disruptive maintenance.