OScar (open source car)
Encyclopedia
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
(now also extended to other vehicles: bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
and motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
) using open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
principles. The aim of the project is mainly to produce blueprint
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
s, using essentially open source CAD. The project is still far from producing a real car, but the progress has been continuous for some years. The OScar project should not be confused with the OSCar company (now known as Riversimple
Riversimple
Riversimple is a United Kingdom-based transportation company focused on producing environmentally conscious automobiles.Riversimple was founded by former motorsport engineer and racing driver Hugo Spowers....
) devised by British engineer Hugo Spowers
Hugo Spowers
Hugo Spowers is a British entrepreneur-engineer who co-ordinated the development of the Morgan LIFEcar sports car project that was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008, and the Riversimple Urban Car....
Goal and challenges
The goal of the project is not to produce a sophisticated car, but rather a simple and functional basic one, which answer people's basic transportation needs. A long term goal is also to introduce standardizationStandardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
in parts
Auto part
This is a list of auto parts, which are manufactured components of automobiles:-Body and exterior:Body components, including windows and trim:-Engine cooling system:* Air blower* Coolant hose* Cooling fan* Fan blade* Fan clutch* Radiator...
manufacturing (very much in the open source way) to use economies of scale
Economies of scale
Economies of scale, in microeconomics, refers to the cost advantages that an enterprise obtains due to expansion. There are factors that cause a producer’s average cost per unit to fall as the scale of output is increased. "Economies of scale" is a long run concept and refers to reductions in unit...
. This is a radical change from the car industry's current practices and business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
, where every manufacturer has their own standards. This monopoly on brand-specific parts often constitutes an important part of the manufacturers' revenues.
Among the challenges this car will have to overcome, before reaching the manufacturing phase, are to conduct crash test
Crash test
A crash test is a form of destructive testing usually performed in order to ensure safe design standards in crashworthiness and crash compatibility for various modes of transportation or related systems and components.- Types :...
s and also to abide by very strict security legislation and pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
norms in the car industry. This has led to proposals for low-carbon alternative propulsion OScars (hybrid, hydrogen vehicle
Hydrogen vehicle
A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its onboard fuel for motive power. Hydrogen vehicles include hydrogen fueled space rockets, as well as automobiles and other transportation vehicles...
, and electric versions).
Similar projects
- Local MotorsLocal MotorsLocal Motors is an open source automobile company founded by John "Jay" Rogers and Jeff Jones, bi-located in both Wareham, Massachusetts and Chandler, Arizona . They co-create vehicles with their community of auto designers, engineers, enthusiasts and customers...
an open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
automobile company - Riversimple Urban CarRiversimple Urban CarThe Riversimple Urban Car is an open source hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that is to be built by Hugo Spowers' company, Riversimple. A working demonstrator vehicle was unveiled at the Somerset House in London on 16 June 2009, and production is planned to begin by 2013.-Design:The Riversimple Urban Car...
- c, mm,n: c, mm, n is a Dutch project to design an environmental friendly car using open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
principles. - OSCav : open source compressed air vehicle.
- Open Source Velomobile Development Project: build your own velomobileVelomobileA velomobile or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle, enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and protection from weather and collisions. They are virtually always single-passenger vehicles. They are derived from recumbent bicycles and tricycles, with the addition of a full fairing . There are few...
. - Open Source Green Vehicle: The Open Source Green Vehicle project is an attempt to design an environmental friendly SUV using open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
principles. - EVProduction club is an organization with a wiki to design and produce open source electric vehicleElectric vehicleAn electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
s and complements. - Open Air Vehicle Project is a non-profit organization with a goal to combine the best for an open source electric vehicleElectric vehicleAn electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
. Called Open Air because air suggests more freedom. - Trev (two-seater renewable energy vehicle)
External links
- The project's Web site
- Video on YouTube
- Article in Business Week
- Open Source Car on the Horizon an article on SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
- About Standards in the car industry on SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
- Discovery technology news
- Sean Dodson, Can open source techniques be used to design a car?, The Guardian, April 12, 2007