This disclosure details systems and methods for supporting and protecting vehicle underbody-mounted battery packs. An exemplary electrified vehicle may include a frame, a battery support structure mounted to the frame, and a battery pack. The battery pack is supported relative to the frame by the battery support structure but is not itself directly coupled to the frame. The battery support structure may be configured to provide an under-frame mounting configuration, cross member positioning, skid plate positioning for battery pack protection, weight optimized sub-components, unique shapes for ground clearances, etc.

A vehicle underbody structure includes a pair of rockers that are provided on both vehicle width direction sides of a vehicle underbody and extend in a vehicle front-rear direction, a battery that is disposed centrally in a vehicle width direction center between the pair of rockers and is disposed above a vehicle floor and on the lower side of a seat, a fuel tank that is disposed in the vehicle width direction center between the pair of rockers and is disposed under the vehicle floor and further toward a rear side of the vehicle than the battery, and a waste pipe that is coupled to a drive unit provided at a vehicle front side of the battery and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction between the battery and one of the rockers.

Land vehicles and methods of operating land vehicles are disclosed. A land vehicle includes a frame structure, a plurality of wheels, and a brake system. The frame structure includes a front cage that at least partially defines an operator cabin and a rear compartment positioned rearward of the front cage in a longitudinal direction. The plurality of wheels are supported by the frame structure. Each of plurality of wheels is sized to permit direct integration of an electric motor therein.

An electric powered vehicle includes a motor for driving one or more wheels. The electric powered vehicle may include a body including a dash panel, a cowl disposed along an upper end of the dash panel and at least partly located forward of the dash panel, an electric unit located forward of the dash panel and supported by the body, and a connector connecting the electric unit and an intermediate portion of the cowl to each other.

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.

A system for repositioning at least one battery of an electric-powered vehicle relative to a drive axle of the vehicle to increase the weight carried by the axle as the vehicle attains a predetermined speed.

A structural enclosure includes a pair of aluminum rails with an upper wall and a lower wall spaced apart from the upper wall, a plurality of sleeves extending into and captured within the aluminum rails, and each of the plurality of sleeves having a head with a predefined thickness disposed on an outer surface of the aluminum rails and configured to separate the outer surface of the aluminum rails from a steel vehicle chassis to which the aluminum rails are mounted. The structural enclosure can be an aluminum battery box for an electric vehicle and the aluminum battery box can be mounted to and electrochemically isolated from the steel vehicle chassis.

A frame system for a vehicle including a high-voltage component that includes a pair of spaced apart primary rails that extend from a front of the vehicle toward a rear of the vehicle and a pair of longitudinally extending sills. An impact support rail extends outward from each of the primary rails, and connects each respective primary rail to one of the sills. A cross-member extends outward from each of the primary rails, and connects each respective primary rail to one of the sills, and a laterally extending frame support member extends between the sills at a location between the impact support rails and the cross-members. A pocket is collectively formed between each primary rail, the respective impact support rail, the respective sill, the respective cross-member, and the laterally extending frame support member, and the pocket is configured for receipt and protection of the high-voltage component.

The invention relates to a battery housing (1) for a vehicle driven by an electric motor, which is to be installed in the floor region of a vehicle, having a frame (2), which encloses at least one battery module, and a floor (3), which is connected to the frame (2), The floor (3) takes the form of a sandwich construction and forms hollow chambers (18, 18′), which can be used as temperature-control channels for guiding through a fluid by virtue of end-side openings in adjacent hollow chambers (18, 18′) being connected to one another at their two ends.

A vehicle battery assembly having specialized fasteners that includes an integrated compression limiter. The compression limiter provides protection for the fastening joint of a cover and a tray of a housing for the battery assembly. The battery assembly may also include nut and bolt assembly which may be installed by a nut insertion tool. The nut insertion tool allows the nut and bolt assembly to be installed without damaging the tray or the cover.