How is this meaningfully different from an SUV towing a travel trailer?
- An electric battery / chassis that can transfer between "shells" implies I could swap the every day shell for a larger "sleep in shell". Kept at home or borrowed or stored or rented?
- As below comment says - an automous car could simply just drive the whole "sleeping caravan" around (not any money saver but suddenly the market opens up - people who don't want to have the hassle of towing a two ton trailer can just go and wait for the caravan to arrive (from the rental store perhaps)
It's really just hitting me but unbundling is going to change an awful lot of the real world
(#) It's still a bit dubious - we seem to be like 60% there, 80% is looking challenging.
Think of a full trailer - "a freight trailer supported by front and rear axles and pulled by a drawbar"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(vehicle)#Full_trailer
With something like this it could be "towed" by basically any kind of vehicle. It doesn't really have to be pulled or pushed, it could take hints from the vehicle in front. It might not even have to be attached, except maybe for legal or historical reasons.
Another important point about rv-type travel is that you frequently need to be self-contained. A large battery could do double duty as propulsion and living. It would also be ideal for rooftop and/or awning solar panels. This setup would allow all the comforts of civilization without being hooked up to the grid, or even be near the grid. It could even pay for itself. Drive, then park for a few days and you get free power to go another hop.