The four wheel vehicle uses an electric motor (142) for driving the vehicle and a battery unit (160) for supplying electric power to the electric motor. The lower chassis (5) of the vehicle includes a pair of front side frames (10) extending linearly in a fore and aft direction with an upward slant and a progressively increasing lateral mutual spacing from a front part thereof to a rear part thereof, a pair of rear side frames (12) connected to rear ends of the respective front side frames, and extending linearly in a fore and aft direction with an upward slant from a front part thereof to a rear part thereof in continuation of the corresponding front side frames in a mutually parallel relationship, and a plurality of cross members (14, 16, 18, 20, 22) connecting the side frames to each other.

Methods and systems are provided for an electric heavy-duty vehicle. In one example, a system for the vehicle may include a wheel hub assembly coupled to a frame of the vehicle via a first wishbone arm and a second wishbone arm, and an air spring coupled at opposite ends to a first link and a second link, each of the first link and the second link being pivotably coupled to the frame of the vehicle, the second link further being pivotably coupled to the first wishbone arm. The air spring may be positioned above the wheel hub assembly with respect to the vehicle.

An unmanned ground-based hygiene maintenance vehicle, UGV, includes a housing with a base plate, top plate and housing side wall substantially perpendicular to the base plate. Arranged in the housing is at least one wheel drive coupled to at least one wheel in a recess in the base plate. The UGV includes sensors for sensing the environment of the UGV, and a controller for autonomous location and navigation of the UGV based on sensing parameters of the sensors. The UGV includes an articulated robot arm on the top plate of the housing and to support a hygiene maintenance tool. The UGV includes at least one load-receiving element coupled to the housing side wall and extending outwards from the housing side wall, wherein the load-receiving element includes a load support surface for supporting a hygiene maintenance tool supply module with respect to a vertical direction extending transverse to the base plate.

This disclosure details electrified vehicle drive systems equipped with electric machine integrated axle assemblies. An exemplary electrified vehicle drive system includes a leaf spring assembly and an axle assembly mounted to the leaf spring assembly. The axle assembly may include a cradle and an electric machine mounted within the cradle. Shocks and stabilizer bar assemblies may extend between the cradle and a vehicle frame of the electrified vehicle.

A damping mechanism and a vehicle are provided. The damping mechanism includes: a spindle; an elastic cushion assembly used to couple the spindle and the vehicle body; a coupling arm having a first end used to be fixedly coupled to an axle of the wheel and a second end pivotally coupled to the spindle; and a locking assembly provided between the coupling arm and the spindle and used to switch the coupling arm and the spindle between at least two locking states and a unlocking state. In the unlocking state, the coupling arm is rotatable, and in the locking states, the coupling arm is locked; in each of the locking states, the coupling arm is in different locking positions relative to the spindle; and when the coupling arm is in different locking positions, the coupling arm is at different angles to a horizontal plane.

A suspension structure includes a pair of trailing arms (12), a beam member (13) connecting the pair of trailing arms, a bracket (21) connected to a rear end region of the trailing arm, and an in-wheel motor drive device (31) coupled and fixed to the bracket. The in-wheel motor drive device (31) is located above the rear end region of the trailing arm (12), and a lower side of the in-wheel motor drive device (12) is covered by the rear end region of the trailing arm (12) and the bracket (21).

A suspension device includes an actuator device provided with an extensible/contractible actuator body interposed between a sprung member and an unsprung member of a vehicle, a pump that supplies fluid to the actuator body to extend or contract the actuator body, and a controller that controls a rotation number of the pump. The controller has a road surface state index obtainment unit that obtains a road surface state index and a target rotation number determination unit that determines a target rotation number of the pump on the basis of the road surface state index.

A motor gearbox assembly is provided for a vehicle having two wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle. The assembly includes two independent drive systems that each include an electric motor and an associated gear train, each drive system being configured to independently drive one of the wheels. The assembly further includes a common housing that receives the motors and the gear trains such that the gear trains are at least partially positioned between the motors. Furthermore, at least portions of the drive systems have generally inverse orientations in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the motor gearbox assembly is mounted on the vehicle.

A subframe assembly for a vehicle and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed. The subframe assembly includes a crossmember, a straight arm, and a side bracket. The crossmember includes an end bracket disposed at an end thereof. The straight arm is received into and metallurgically bonded to the end bracket of the crossmember. The side bracket includes a base, and a rear bracket arm. The base is metallurgically bonded to a side of the straight arm adjacent to the end of the crossmember. The rear bracket arm extends from an end of the base and defines a hole adapted to receive a screw or pin for connecting a control arm of a wheel suspension to the subframe assembly. The rear bracket arm is at least partially received into and metallurgically bonded to the end bracket of the crossmember.

A knuckle structure is provided with: a knuckle for rotatably supporting a drive shaft connected to the output shaft of a motor; and a grounding member having a grounding harness, the grounding member electrically connecting the knuckle and a vehicle body. The grounding member is connected to a grounding connection section provided on the protrusion of the knuckle and facing rearward of the vehicle. The grounding connection section is provided between a brake caliper extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the knuckle.