Electrical vehicle chassis and method of adapting internal combustion engine vehicle chassis for electrical vehicle drive train

摘要

Disclosed is a method of adapting a vehicle chassis designed for accommodating an internal combustion engine to make it suitable for an electrical drive train. The chassis includes a pair of front wheels and associated suspensions, a pair of rear wheels and associated suspensions, and a chassis platform to which the wheel suspensions are coupled. A transverse beam member is located between the front and rear wheels. The method includes increasing a stiffness of coil springs of the front wheel suspensions, increasing a stiffness of a transverse roll/sway bar mutually linking the front wheel suspensions, and removing at least a part of the transverse beam member of the vehicle chassis to make a cavity for accommodating a battery unit 400 that has a structural rigidity that at least partially compensates for said removal. The method may also include increasing a strength of an anti-roll/roll-over bar 410. The method may include substituting an internal combustion engine for an electrical motor arrangement. Also disclosed is a vehicle chassis with the above features. The suspension may be a double wishbone suspension with dampers.