The invention provides for a high occupancy or heavy-duty vehicle with a battery propulsion power source, which may include lithium titanate batteries. The vehicle may be all-battery or may be a hybrid, and may have a composite body. The vehicle battery system may be housed within the floor of the vehicle and may have different groupings and arrangements.

Frames for vehicles, such as buses or industrial transport vehicles, are provided which may be formed by a plurality of welded elements including ribs, cross members and uprights. At least one upright maybe formed by a first section bar welded to a second section bar, thereby forming a closed, hollow cross-section. Methods of making and using such frames are also provided.

Frames for vehicles, such as buses or industrial transport vehicles, are provided which may be formed by a plurality of welded elements including ribs, cross members and uprights. At least one upright maybe formed by a first section bar welded to a second section bar, thereby forming a closed, hollow cross-section. Methods of making and using such frames are also provided.

An electric vehicle includes: a box-shaped base frame in which a battery is stored in an internal space, with a vehicle drive unit using an in-wheel motor attached to a side surface; and a floor panel that is separately arranged from the base frame at a position above the base frame in the vehicle. In the electric vehicle, a slope device that feeds out a slope board toward a sidewalk or a road is provided in a clearance between the base frame and the floor panel.

A bellows for a passage between two articulated vehicles or for an air passenger stair or bridge has a plurality of folds or waves arranged behind one another. A floor region has at least one inner jacket and at least one outer jacket spaced from the inner jacket. An intermediate layer is disposed between and spaced apart from the inner and outer and is fire-retardant.

An apparatus and system for: combining independent driving vehicles into a single assembly for condensed, efficient, variable capacity transportation on common routes; and for separating into independent vehicles for flexibility on diverse routes. Connection logistics are exchanged locally via line of sight optical channel. Retractable coupling and mated coupling on opposing ends of the vehicles provide multiple degrees of freedom (DOF) to accommodate misalignment during initial dynamic engagement, and lock as rigidly coupled assembly with zero DOF. Mating vehicles' doors open during transit, permitting inter-vehicle movement and consolidation of passengers en route to urban locales, and release of empty vehicles. On return, independent vehicles combine to dense passenger vehicles from urban locales for redistribution of passengers in individual vehicles that later separate for diverse destinations. Slaved vehicle systems allow one vehicle to control coupled vehicles' systems of retractable suspension, coordinated steering, power sharing. Utility vehicles couple to assembly for service.

Provided is an articulated bus including a front vehicle including a steering wheel and a rear wheel positioned on a rear side of the steering wheel in a front-rear direction of a vehicle, a rear vehicle disposed on a rear side of the front vehicle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and mounted with an engine, an articulating portion that swingably connects the front vehicle and the rear vehicle to each other, and a hybrid system including an electric generator that functions as an electric motor and a generator, and an HV battery that stores electric energy generated by the electric generator and supplies electric energy to the electric generator, in which the HV battery is disposed on a roof of the front vehicle.

An electric vehicle includes: a box-shaped base frame in which a battery is stored in an internal space, with a vehicle drive unit using an in-wheel motor attached to a side surface; and a floor panel that is separately arranged from the base frame at a position above the base frame in the vehicle. In the electric vehicle, a slope device that feeds out a slope board toward a sidewalk or a road is provided in a clearance between the base frame and the floor panel.

A joint module for an articulated vehicle, for pivotally interconnecting a first vehicle part and a second vehicle part of the articulated vehicle, the joint module including articulation joint having: a first segment, connectable to the first vehicle part, a second segment, connectable to the second vehicle part, a slewing bearing pivotally coupling the first segment to the second segment, the slewing bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring pivotable with respect to each other about a pivot axis, the pivot axis defining an axial direction of the articulation joint, the first segment having two first connecting plates spaced apart at a first distance and perpendicular to the axial direction, the outer ring being fixated to the connecting plates therebetween, each of the two first connecting plates having an arc-shaped recess wherein a central axis of the arc-shape of the recess is concentric with the pivot axis, and the second segment having two second connecting plates spaced apart at a second distance and perpendicular to the axial direction, the second distance being such that the two first connecting plates, at least with a portion thereof between which the outer ring is fixated, extend between the two second connecting plates, and the inner ring being fixated to the second connecting plates therebetween and at the location of the recesses in the first segment and method of manufacturing the same.

A side structure of a bus includes a skirt rail. Window fillers are connected to the skirt rail at lower ends, extend in an upper side, and are arranged from a front to a rear with a predetermined interval. A waist rail extends from the front to the rear with a predetermined distance in the upper side of the skirt rail and is engaged with each of the window fillers. A first region includes a first member connecting the waist rail and the skirt rail and a second member connecting the upper part of the first member and the lower end of the window filler. A second region includes a third member connecting the waist rail and the skirt rail and a fourth member connecting the upper of the third member and the lower part of the window filler.