Lightweight road vehicle with strengthening structure

A lightweight road vehicle having an inner passenger space with laterally adjacent driver's and passenger's seats, said vehicle having wheels, an energy accumulator (3, 31, 32), an electric motor, and a support structure (2) comprising the combination of

• a cross tube (10) extending transversely of a normal direction of forward travel of the vehicle within and entirely through said inner passenger space and located beneath said driver's and passenger seats (5, 6) in a central region of said vehicle between front and rear axles thereof,
• said tube having a large enclosed interior cross-section with a height (H) of at least 15 cm and a width (W) of at least 25 cm, and including a floor plate (14), a top plate (11), a front wall (12) and a rear wall (13), and
• at least part of said cross tube extending above a plane (70) containing axles of said wheels;
• first and second rings on opposite sides of said vehicle, each said ring having a central opening defining a door opening, lower portions of said rings forming side support members (21, 22) extending longitudinally at opposite sides of said vehicle;
• a plurality of transverse struts interconnecting said rings at locations spaced from said side support members;
• and
• force-transmitting junctions (29) interconnecting opposite ends of said cross tube and said side support members.

A lightweight road vehicle having a frame;

• an inner passenger space with laterally adjacent driver's and passenger seats;
• wheels and axles coupled to said frame for supporting and permitting rolling motion of said vehicle;
• an electric motor coupled to drive at least one of said wheels;
• an energy accumulator providing electrical energy for said motor;
• and
• a support structure comprising the combination of
• a cross tube extending across said frame transversely of a normal direction of forward travel of said vehicle within and entirely through said inner passenger space and located beneath and carrying said driver's and passenger seats in a central region of said vehicle between front and rear axles thereof,
• said tube having an enclosed interior cross-section with a height of at least 15 cm and a width of at least 25 cm, and including a floor plate, a top plate, a front wall and a rear wall forming tube walls, at least three of said four tube walls being interconnected and constructed to resist lateral impact forces imposed on said vehicle,
• at least part of said cross tube being intersected by a plane containing axles of said wheels, and
• a portion of one of said floor plate or said top plate of said cross tube being detachable;
• said support structure further including at least two side support members extending longitudinally at opposite sides of said vehicle;
• and
• force-transmitting junctions interconnecting said cross tube and said side support members,
• said cross tube housing at least part of said energy accumulator.