Vehicle chassis with interchangeable performance packages and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420878-B2
Application number	US-202318391304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2023
Priority date	Apr 28, 2021
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

Vehicle chassis with interchangeable performance packages and related methods. are disclosed herein. An example vehicle chassis disclosed herein includes a frame including a first chassis portion including a cavity, a battery platform coupled to first chassis portion, and a first subframe couplable within the cavity, the first subframe including a first motor and a first suspension assembly, and a second subframe couplable within the cavity, the second subframe including a second motor and a second suspension assembly, the second motor having a greater power than the first motor, the second suspension assembly having a greater stiffness than the first suspension assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to assemble a chassis of a vehicle, the method comprising:
assembling a chassis portion including a cavity;
determining a model of the vehicle;
after determining the vehicle is a first model:
selecting a first performance package including a first motor and a first suspension assembly based on the first model;
coupling the first motor within the cavity; and
coupling the first suspension assembly to the chassis portion; and
after determining the vehicle is a second model:
selecting a second performance package including second motor and a second suspension assembly based on the second model, the first motor having a different power than the second motor, the first suspension assembly having a different stiffness than the second suspension assembly;
coupling the second motor within the cavity; and
coupling the second suspension assembly to the chassis portion.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is a first cavity, and the chassis portion is a first chassis portion, and further including assembling a second chassis portion including a second cavity.

3. The method of claim 2 , further including:
coupling the first chassis portion to a front of a battery platform; and
coupling the second chassis portion to a rear of the battery platform.

4. The method of claim 2 , further including, after determining the vehicle is the first model:
coupling a third motor within the second chassis portion; and
coupling a third suspension assembly to the second chassis portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the third motor has substantially a same power as the first motor, the third suspension assembly has a same stiffness as the first suspension assembly.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first cavity and the second cavity are of substantially a same size.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first model is a passenger car and the second model is a truck.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the first motor within the cavity includes coupling the first motor to an inboard surface of the cavity via a bushing connection.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the first suspension assembly to the chassis portion includes coupling the first suspension assembly to an outboard surface of a longitudinal member of the chassis portion.

10. The method of claim 9 , further including coupling a wheel to the first suspension assembly.

11. A method to assemble a chassis of a vehicle, the method comprising:
assembling a chassis portion including a first cavity;
determining a model of the vehicle;
after determining the vehicle is a first model:
selecting a first performance package including a first motor and a first suspension assembly based on the first model; and
coupling a first subframe to the chassis portion, the first subframe including the first motor and the first suspension assembly;

after determining the vehicle is a second model:
selecting a second performance package including second motor and a second suspension assembly based on the second model, the first motor having a different power than the second motor, the first suspension assembly having a different stiffness than the second suspension assembly; and
coupling a second subframe to the chassis portion, the first subframe including the first motor and the first suspension assembly.

12. The method of claim 11 , further including:
after determining the vehicle is the first model, assembling the first subframe; and
after determining the vehicle is the second model, assembling the second subframe.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein assembling the first subframe includes:
coupling a first crossmember to a first side rail and a second side rail; and
coupling a second crossmember to the first side rail and the second side rail.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein assembling the first subframe further includes:
coupling the first motor to a motor mounting feature of at least one of the first crossmember, the second crossmember, the first side rail, or the second side rail; and
coupling the first suspension assembly to a wheel mounting feature of at least one of the first side rail, or the second side rail.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein assembling the second subframe includes:
coupling the first crossmember to the first side rail and the second side rail; and
coupling the second crossmember to the first side rail and the second side rail.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein assembling the second subframe further includes:
coupling the second motor to a motor mounting feature of at least one of the first crossmember, the first side rail, or the second side rail; and
coupling the second suspension assembly to a suspension mounting feature of at least one of the first side rail or the second side rail.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first model is a passenger car and the second model is a truck.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the chassis portion is a first chassis portion and further including assembling a second chassis portion including a second cavity.

19. The method of claim 18 , further including coupling a third subframe within the second cavity of the second chassis portion, the third subframe including a third suspension assembly and a third motor.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the third motor has substantially a same power as the first motor, the third suspension assembly has a same stiffness as the first suspension assembly.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Harmon Michael John
• Tajmahal Hussain Z
• Conrad Marielle
• Curtis Benjamin Jordan
• Ooms David Earl
• Han Yejin

Classifications

• B62D65/12

  the sub-units or components being suspensions, brakes or wheel units · CPC title

• B60Y2200/14

  Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses · CPC title

• B60Y2200/92

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60Y2200/91

  Electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60K6/28

  characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title