A low suspension arm strut coupling is provided for a suspension of an off-road vehicle. The suspension comprises a lower suspension arm that is hingedly coupled between a chassis of the off-road vehicle and a spindle assembly that is coupled with a front wheel. An upper suspension arm is hingedly coupled between the chassis and the spindle assembly. A strut is coupled between the lower suspension arm and the chassis. A lower pivot couples the strut to the lower suspension, and an upper pivot couples the strut to the chassis. The upper and lower pivots provide a lower center of gravity of the off-road vehicle and a relatively smaller shock angle. The lower suspension arm is reinforced to withstand forces due to movement of the front wheel and operation of the strut in response to travel over terrain.

A u-shaped crossmember is employed in the construction of a chassis frame of a medium or heavy duty battery electric vehicle. In the design, frame rails are joined by at least one of U-shaped cross members, which comprises a main center section and four or more support arms, which extend away from the main center section of the cross member in the transverse direction of the longitudinal frames. The cross members, in one example, include two brackets. Each bracket has two arms connected by a center main portion. These brackets can be fabricated by creating a plurality of angles in several locations that add up to 90-degrees. The angled design allows the transmission of longitudinal and lateral forces to both frame rails. Due to U-shaped nature of the cross member, the body of the chassis frame is opened to allow for installation of components, subassemblies, and especially battery packs, etc.

Proposed is a modular driving apparatus which is driven in combination with at least one ride module or is driven independently by being combined with or separated from the ride module. The modular driving apparatus includes: a main body including a coupling space in which the ride module is mounted, and wheel modules which surrounds both sides of the ride module mounted in the coupling space and operates to run together with the mounted ride module or operates to run autonomously; and coupling guide blades which are respectively fastened to both sides of the main body and respectively include wheel module coupling holes for exposing the outer surfaces of the wheel modules.

Proposed is a modular driving apparatus which is driven in combination with at least one ride module or is driven independently by being combined with or separated from the ride module. The modular driving apparatus includes: a main body including a coupling space in which the ride module is mounted, and wheel modules which surrounds both sides of the ride module mounted in the coupling space and operates to run together with the mounted ride module or operates to run autonomously; and coupling guide blades which are respectively fastened to both sides of the main body and respectively include wheel module coupling holes for exposing the outer surfaces of the wheel modules.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for scalable vehicle platforms. An example vehicle chassis disclosed herein includes a right front chassis portion including a first longitudinal member, and a first crossmember attachment locator disposed on the first longitudinal member. The example vehicle chassis includes a left front chassis portion including a second longitudinal member and a second crossmember attachment locator disposed on the second longitudinal member, wherein the vehicle chassis has a first width when a first crossmember is coupled to the first and second crossmember attachment locators and wherein the vehicle chassis has a second width greater than the first width when a second crossmember is coupled to the first and second crossmember attachment locators, the second crossmember longer than the first crossmember.

A universal axle-hub assembly is provided for an off-road vehicle. The universal axle-hub assembly comprises a wheel hub that receives a constant velocity (CV) axle snout into an opening extending through an axle support of the wheel hub. An outboard-most portion of the opening is a splined portion that engages with similar splines disposed on an outboard-most portion of the CV axle snout. An inboard-most portion of the opening is a smooth portion that receives a smooth portion of the CV axle snout. The axle support extends through an entirety of the width of a bearing that supports the wheel hub, such that the bearing supports the smooth portion of the CV axle snout and substantially eliminates shear forces acting on the splined portion of the CV axle snout. A bearing carrier supports the bearing and may be fastened onto a trailing arm or a spindle of the off-road vehicle.

A universal axle-hub assembly is provided for an off-road vehicle. The universal axle-hub assembly comprises a wheel hub that receives a constant velocity (CV) axle snout into an opening extending through an axle support of the wheel hub. An outboard-most portion of the opening is a splined portion that engages with similar splines disposed on an outboard-most portion of the CV axle snout. An inboard-most portion of the opening is a smooth portion that receives a smooth portion of the CV axle snout. The axle support extends through an entirety of the width of a bearing that supports the wheel hub, such that the bearing supports the smooth portion of the CV axle snout and substantially eliminates shear forces acting on the splined portion of the CV axle snout. A bearing carrier supports the bearing and may be fastened onto a trailing arm or a spindle of the off-road vehicle.

A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle, including a front wheel suspension and a rear wheel suspension, each having longitudinal control arms arranged on both sides and a torsion spring actively connected to the longitudinal control arms. The chassis includes a battery housing receiving a propulsion battery. A front transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the front wheel suspension, and a rear transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the rear wheel suspension. The respective transverse carriers are rigidly connected to the battery housing and couple the longitudinal control arms and the torsion spring.

A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle, including a front wheel suspension and a rear wheel suspension, each having longitudinal control arms arranged on both sides and a torsion spring actively connected to the longitudinal control arms. The chassis includes a battery housing receiving a propulsion battery. A front transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the front wheel suspension, and a rear transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the rear wheel suspension. The respective transverse carriers are rigidly connected to the battery housing and couple the longitudinal control arms and the torsion spring.

Vehicles may be composed of a relatively few number of “modules” that are assembled together during a final assembly process. An example vehicle may include a body module, a first drive module coupled to a first end of the body module, and a second drive module coupled to a second end of the body module. One or both of the drive modules may include a pair of wheels, a battery, an electric drive motor, and/or a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. One or both of the drive modules may also include a crash structure to absorb impacts. If a component of a drive module fails or is damaged, the drive module can be quickly and easily replaced with a new drive module, minimizing vehicle down time.