Systems and methods for reconfigurable electric vehicles

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for facilitating utilization of shared vehicles that are reconfigurable to suit a use request for a particular vehicle configuration, the program instructions when executed adapted to cause a computer processing system to:

• monitor use of a plurality of vehicles, use of the vehicles being shared among multiple users or uses, each of the vehicles being structurally reconfigurable among different predetermined structural configurations and configurable in a selected predetermined structural configuration, the different predetermined structural configurations being provided by different, removable structural modules configured to be removably attached to an exterior of the vehicle;
• receive a first use request for use of a first particular configuration of a vehicle;
• select a first vehicle to be provided in the first particular configuration for use, the first vehicle in the first particular configuration including a first removable structural module attached to an exterior of the first vehicle, a first feature set affecting operation of the first vehicle being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle having the first particular configuration with the first removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle;
• receive a second use request for a second particular configuration of a vehicle, the second particular configuration being different from the first particular configuration;
• and
• select the first vehicle to be provided in the second particular configuration for use, the first vehicle in the second particular configuration including a second removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle, the second removable structural module having a structure different than that of the first removable structural module, a second feature set affecting operation of the first vehicle being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle having the second particular configuration, the first feature set being different from the second feature set with the second removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle.

A system for utilization of shared vehicles that are reconfigurable to suit a use request for a particular vehicle configuration, the system comprising:

• a computer processing system;
• and
• a memory coupled to the computer processing system, wherein the computer processing system is adapted to:
• monitor use of a plurality of vehicles, use of the vehicles being shared among multiple users or uses, each of the vehicles being structurally reconfigurable among different predetermined structural configurations and configurable in a selected predetermined structural configuration, the different predetermined structural configurations being provided by different, removable structural modules configured to be removably attached to an exterior of the vehicle;
• receive a first use request for use of a first particular configuration of a vehicle;
• select a first vehicle to be provided in the first particular configuration for use, the first vehicle in the first particular configuration including a first removable structural module attached to an exterior of the first vehicle, a first feature set affecting operation of the first vehicle being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle having the first particular configuration with the first removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle;
• receive a second use request for a second particular configuration of a vehicle, the second particular configuration being different from the first particular configuration;
• and
• select the first vehicle to be provided in the second particular configuration for use, the first vehicle in the second particular configuration including a second removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle, the second removable structural module having a structure different than that of the first removable structural module, a second feature set affecting operation of the first vehicle being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle having the second particular configuration, the first feature set being different from the second feature set with the second removable structural module attached to the exterior of the first vehicle.

A method of utilization of shared vehicles that are reconfigurable to suit a use request for a particular vehicle configuration, the method comprising:

• monitoring use of a plurality of vehicles, use of the vehicles being shared among multiple users or uses, each of the vehicles being structurally reconfigurable among different predetermined structural configurations corresponding to a selected predetermined structural configuration;
• receiving a first use request for use of a first particular configuration of a vehicle;
• selecting a first vehicle having a unique first identification number to be provided in the first particular configuration for use, the first vehicle in the first configuration having a predetermined first feature set, the first feature set being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle being placed in the first configuration;
• receiving a second use request for a vehicle in the first particular configuration;
• and
• selecting a second vehicle having a unique second vehicle identification number to be provided in the first particular configuration for use, the second vehicle in the first configuration having a predetermined second feature set, the second feature set being automatically set at the second vehicle based on the second vehicle being placed in the first configuration, the second feature set being the same as the first feature set,
• the first vehicle and the second vehicle being provided at different times with a same particular removable structural module having a unique module identification number.

A structurally reconfigurable automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a body;
• a motor;
• a drive system;
• a battery system;
• a computer system;
• a first removable structural module selectable from a plurality of predetermined structural modules, the first removable structural module being configured to attach to be carried by the automotive vehicle via a latching mechanism;
• a sensor for detecting the presence of the first removable structural module attached to and carried by the automotive vehicle;
• the computer system being configured receive a signal from the sensor identifying the first removable structural module and thereby determine the automotive vehicle to be in a first particular configuration associated with the first removable structural module,
• the computer system being configured to automatically set a predetermined feature set for the vehicle based on the first vehicle being placed in the first particular configuration with the first removable structural module.