Battery pack mounting architecture with shear plate for electric drive motor vehicles

An electric vehicle, comprising:

• a chassis frame with a front cradle having a pair of laterally spaced cradle rails connected by a transversely oriented cradle cross member;
• a traction battery pack anchored to the chassis frame and including a plurality of electric battery modules mounted on a support tray;
• an electric motor mounted above the front cradle and electrically connected to the traction battery pack;
• and
• a shear plate including an elongated plate body with opposing transversely oriented fore and aft braces connected by opposing laterally spaced starboard and port braces, the starboard and port braces being mechanically coupled to the chassis frame, the fore brace being directly mechanically coupled to the cradle cross member, and the aft brace being directly mechanically coupled to the support tray, the elongated plate body further including a plurality of ribs disposed between the starboard and port braces and connecting the fore and aft braces,
• wherein the elongated plate body is configured to transmit in-plane and torsional load forces received from the front cradle via the fore brace, through the ribs and the starboard and port braces, to the support tray via the aft brace.