Processes for producing an electric vehicle include manufacture of a lower body skateboard platform including at least energy storage/conversion (batteries within a ladder frame), propulsion, suspension and wheels, steering, crash protection, and braking, and manufacture of a top hat upper portion including at least the vehicle cabin housing various interior components such as passenger seats, frame covers, and a roof headliner, together with steering and acceleration controls. The upper body portion and the lower body platform are manufactured separately in parallel and then merged, which allows for ease of manufacture and a more compact design.

A truck or tractor vehicle includes a frame having a longitudinal centerline, an operator cab mounted relative to the frame via a cab suspension, the cab having a longitudinal centerline, the cab suspension comprising a front suspension and a rear suspension, the rear suspension comprising an adjustable panhard bar attached at a first end to the cab and attached at a second end to the frame, the adjustable panhard bar being adjustable in length to position the longitudinal centerline of the cab at a desired angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the frame.

A truck or tractor vehicle includes a frame having a longitudinal centerline, an operator cab mounted relative to the frame via a cab suspension, the cab having a longitudinal centerline, the cab suspension comprising a front suspension and a rear suspension, the rear suspension comprising an adjustable panhard bar attached at a first end to the cab and attached at a second end to the frame, the adjustable panhard bar being adjustable in length to position the longitudinal centerline of the cab at a desired angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the frame.

A vehicle corner module (VCM) is provided for regulating motion of a host vehicle which comprises a vehicle-onboard vehicle-controller. The VCM comprises a sub-frame mountable to a reference frame of the host vehicle; a wheel-hub assembly comprising a wheel-hub; VCM-sub-systems mediating between the sub-frame and the wheel-hub assembly, e.g., a drive subsystem, a steering subsystem, a suspension subsystem and/or a braking subsystem; and an VCM-onboard VCM-controller, comprising one or more processors and a computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to establish a communication link with a vehicle-controller, including electronically transferring information about the VCM from the VCM-controller to the vehicle-controller, and to perform, in response to an installation of the VCM on a vehicle, a post-installation validation-process that includes validating the VCM-subsystems and communicating a result of the validating to the vehicle-controller.

A vehicle corner module (VCM) is provided for regulating motion of a host vehicle which comprises a vehicle-onboard vehicle-controller. The VCM comprises a sub-frame mountable to a reference frame of the host vehicle; a wheel-hub assembly comprising a wheel-hub; VCM-sub-systems mediating between the sub-frame and the wheel-hub assembly, e.g., a drive subsystem, a steering subsystem, a suspension subsystem and/or a braking subsystem; and an VCM-onboard VCM-controller, comprising one or more processors and a computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to establish a communication link with a vehicle-controller, including electronically transferring information about the VCM from the VCM-controller to the vehicle-controller, and to perform, in response to an installation of the VCM on a vehicle, a post-installation validation-process that includes validating the VCM-subsystems and communicating a result of the validating to the vehicle-controller.

An embodiment vehicle body includes a side sill coupled to a side of a vehicle floor and extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body, a coupling member coupled to a top of the side sill and having a coupling groove penetrating in an up-down direction, and a pillar member extending in the up-down direction such that an upper end portion is connected to a roof and a lower end portion is inserted into the coupling groove and coupled to the coupling member.

An embodiment vehicle body includes a side sill coupled to a side of a vehicle floor and extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body, a coupling member coupled to a top of the side sill and having a coupling groove penetrating in an up-down direction, and a pillar member extending in the up-down direction such that an upper end portion is connected to a roof and a lower end portion is inserted into the coupling groove and coupled to the coupling member.

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 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 method for assembling a vehicle from a set of modules for travelling a planned route, wherein the set of modules comprises at least one functional module and a plurality of drive modules. Each drive module comprises a pair of wheels, electrical motor, and an interface releasably connectable to a corresponding interface on another module, wherein each drive module is configured to operate autonomously and has an individual set of energy parameters. The method comprising obtaining route information associated with route segments of the planned route, selecting a first drive module having an individual set of energy parameters matching route information associated with a first route segment and selecting a second drive module having an individual set of energy parameters matching route information associated with a second route segment, and thereafter commanding the drive modules to connect together and with a functional module.