Patent ID: 11952039
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 17:
18. An electric-vehicle frame comprising:
a mid-section having first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a first distance along a cross-vehicle axis defining a battery compartment therebetween;
an electric-vehicle battery disposed in the battery compartment;
an end-section having first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a second distance along the cross-vehicle axis smaller than the first distance;
a first connector between the first frame rail of the mid-section and the first frame rail of the end-section;
a second connector between the second frame rail of the mid-section and the second frame rail of the end-section; and
a cross-beam between the first connector and the second connector;
the cross-beam being aligned with the first connector and the second connector along a vehicle-longitudinal axis, the vehicle-longitudinal axis being perpendicular to the cross-vehicle axis;
the first frame rail of the end-section being spaced from the first frame rail of the mid-section at the first connector, and the second frame rail of the end-section being spaced from the second frame rail of the mid-section at the second connector;
the first and second frame rails of the mid-section each having an end proximate the end-section, and the first frame rail of the end-section having an end inboard of the end of the first frame rail of the mid-section and the second frame rail of the end-section each having an end inboard of the end of the second frame rail of the mid-section;
the first connector being fixed to the end of the first frame rail of the mid-section and the end of the first frame rail of the end-section, and the second connector being fixed to the end of the second frame rail of the mid-section and the end of the second frame rail of the end-section.