Battery frame, battery pack, electric vehicle, method of assembling a battery frame, and method of assembling a battery pack

A battery frame for providing structural support for a battery pack for retaining rows of stacked battery cells, the battery frame comprising a plurality of longitudinal beams and a plurality of crossbeams arranged between and connected to the longitudinal beams,

• wherein the crossbeams are arranged in parallel to each other and comprise two outer crossbeams, an intermediate crossbeam, and a plurality of inner crossbeams, the intermediate crossbeam being arranged between the two outer crossbeams, at least one of the plurality of inner crossbeams being arranged between the intermediate crossbeam and one of the two outer crossbeams, respectively,
• wherein a retaining section for retaining one of the rows of stacked battery cells is provided between any neighboring pair of the crossbeams so that the rows of stacked battery cells are alternately arranged between the two outer crossbeams, the plurality of inner crossbeams, and the intermediate crossbeam,
• wherein each of the crossbeams is connected to the longitudinal beams by a plurality of fasteners extending in a longitudinal direction of the crossbeams through the longitudinal beams and into the crossbeams,
• wherein the two outer crossbeams comprise upper and lower flanges respectively extending away from the retaining section,
• wherein the inner crossbeams comprise upper and lower flanges extending toward adjacent ones of the rows of stacked battery cells, the upper flanges of the inner crossbeams being nearer to a bottom surface of the battery frame than the upper flanges of the outer crossbeams are, and
• wherein the intermediate crossbeam comprises upper and lower flanges at heights above the bottom surface of the battery frame the same as the upper and lower flanges of the outer crossbeams.