“The structure does not intrude with the highest hat of the automobile,” mentioned Mike Simcoe, international vp of design at GM. “Structurally, the skateboard successfully stops on the floorpan. And so the whole lot above this is unfastened. In a standard construct, such things as the cover and sprint panel and the entrance hinge pillars are managed by means of issues popping out of the chassis, comparable to engines, gasoline tanks, and so forth. However in a skateboard, it is all down low, and you have got extra freedom.
“You … categorical it by means of percentage. You’ll be able to do an extended dash-to-axle, you’ll be able to do a tall automobile. It is all ruled by means of the H-point,” he mentioned, regarding the theoretical pivoting level of a passenger’s hip, which influences the whole lot from roof top to inside area to ease of access and go out.
One of the most newest EVs, such because the Lucid Air, Rivian R1T and upcoming Cadillac Celestiq, reveal the benefit of the skateboard chassis. Those cars have beneficiant inside area relative to their physique sizes, and on the subject of the Rivian’s pickup, abundant garage spaces now not to be had in body-on-frame vans.
As a result of electrical motors are smaller than fuel engines and require fewer umbilicals, comparable to cooling and exhaust hookups, engineers can put pressure motors within the entrance axle, within the rear axle, or each on the subject of all-wheel-drive cars. If the Lordstown Staying power pickup launches, it’s going to be the primary fashionable common manufacturing automobile to have the motors within the wheel hubs. The Staying power has its battery pack fastened between the body rails, regardless that it nonetheless makes use of a somewhat conventional rugged metal truck body.
Roush’s Fraker believes one of the crucial skateboard’s boundaries is that it’s not suited to switch the frames used on hardworking cars, comparable to heavy- responsibility vans that haul large quite a bit.
“I believe it’s going to be rather a couple of years prior to we see important vans that take care of massive quite a bit move to the skateboard,” he mentioned. The ones body rails give us very good power, and I believe they are going to persevere within the business marketplace. However the whole lot within the lighter categories, you are going to see extra integration of the battery and the automobile.”
Lindsay Brooke, editor of SAE Global, the mag of the group previously referred to as the Society of Automobile Engineers, says designers can create longer cars at the skateboard chassis, and engineers can simply accommodate the ones adjustments with out disrupting the meeting traces. However the width of a skateboard automobile isn’t as versatile.