Battery Pack Housing Structure for Lightweight Snowmobile Chassis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric powersport vehicles, such as electric snowmobiles, face challenges in optimizing performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness due to the complexity and weight of their powertrain components, particularly the battery pack and thermal management systems.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a battery pack housing that forms part of the chassis, incorporating a heat exchanger and sealing the enclosure to provide buoyancy, simplifies the structure, reduces weight, and enhances modularity and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If separate chassis and battery pack structures are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but vehicle weight increases and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack housing is integrated with the chassis structure, where the battery pack housing forms part of the tunnel structure. The side panels of the battery pack housing serve dual purposes as both battery enclosure and chassis structural elements, eliminating the need for separate chassis components and reducing overall vehicle weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack housing performs multiple functions: it encloses the battery modules, provides structural support as part of the chassis, contributes to the tunnel structure formation, and works with the heat exchanger for thermal management. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed.
2Temperature
If complex thermal management systems are used, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but system weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is integrated directly into the battery pack housing structure, specifically formed as part of the bottom panel. This integration eliminates the need for separate thermal management components and reduces system complexity while maintaining effective cooling of the battery modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom panel of the battery pack housing serves dual functions: it provides structural support as part of the housing and simultaneously acts as the heat exchanger for thermal management. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system.
3Reliability
If sealed enclosure is implemented, then buoyancy is provided, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is integrated into the battery pack housing structure itself, where the housing forms a sealed enclosure that provides buoyancy. The heat exchanger is also integrated into this sealed structure, allowing thermal management without compromising the sealed environment, thereby maintaining reliability while simplifying manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution improves the performance and reliability of electric snowmobiles by reducing weight, simplifying assembly, and providing enhanced thermal management and buoyancy, thereby extending range and endurance while lowering manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchanger to cool a heat transfer fluid used to cool at least the number of battery modules, and the electric motor and a corresponding DC-AC inverter
Implementation Method 2
the sealed enclosure defining an interior volume of air to provide buoyancy to the electric vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
One example provides a chassis for an electric snowmobile including a battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery pack housing defining an enclosure for housing a number of battery modules for powering an electric motor of the electric snowmobile, the battery pack housing having a length extending in a longitudinal direction of the snowmobile, the battery pack housing including a bottom surface. A pair of opposing side panels extends downwardly from and along at least a portion of the length of the battery pack housing, the opposing panels and at least portions of the bottom surface of the battery pack housing together forming a rear structure extending in the longitudinal direction of the electric snowmobile.