Abstract: An automotive battery pack enclosure, assembly and method of housing battery pack cells within an enclosure. The enclosure includes a tray that defines a mounting surface for the various individual battery cells, as well as an upstanding wall, while the assembly further includes numerous individual battery cells aligned along a stacking axis within the enclosure. The wall is made from a continuous extruded preform with periodically-spaced miters that permit bending such that the wall can assume any shape defined by the various panels. The panels cooperative with the peripheral edges of the tray to define a battery container with a footprint shape generally similar to that of the tray. By being formed from a substantially one-piece preform, all of the corners—save the one formed where wall ends are brought into adjacent cooperation with one another—define a continuous structural seal without the need for sealants, welds or other supplemental closure approaches.

Abstract: Provided herein is a heat exchange assembly for conducting air flow through an air cooled vehicle battery, including: a housing enclosing a battery pack having a plurality of cells; and a manifold operably connected to the housing, wherein the manifold includes an inlet for receiving air flow into the battery pack and an outlet for exhausting air flow out of the battery pack, wherein the inlet and the outlet form a single heat exchange duct that passes through a single opening on a face of the housing. Also provided herein is a vehicle incorporating the disclosed heat exchange assembly and a method of conducting air flow through an air cooled battery in a vehicle.

Abstract: An automotive battery pack enclosure, assembly and method of housing battery pack cells within an enclosure. The enclosure includes a tray that defines a mounting surface for the various individual battery cells, as well as an upstanding wall, while the assembly further includes numerous individual battery cells aligned along a stacking axis within the enclosure. The wall is made from a continuous extruded preform with periodically-spaced miters that permit bending such that the wall can assume any shape defined by the various panels. The panels cooperative with the peripheral edges of the tray to define a battery container with a footprint shape generally similar to that of the tray. By being formed from a substantially one-piece preform, all of the corners—save the one formed where wall ends are brought into adjacent cooperation with one another—define a continuous structural seal without the need for sealants, welds or other supplemental closure approaches.

Abstract: Provided herein is a heat exchange assembly for conducting air flow through an air cooled vehicle battery, including: a housing enclosing a battery pack having a plurality of cells; and a manifold operably connected to the housing, wherein the manifold includes an inlet for receiving air flow into the battery pack and an outlet for exhausting air flow out of the battery pack, wherein the inlet and the outlet form a single heat exchange duct that passes through a single opening on a face of the housing. Also provided herein is a vehicle incorporating the disclosed heat exchange assembly and a method of conducting air flow through an air cooled battery in a vehicle.

Abstract: A modular battery pack and method of making a battery pack. Prismatic battery cells are aligned within the enclosure such that reconfigurable adjusting of the enclosure and its components may take place without having to redesign either. In this way, battery packs containing a different number of successively smaller battery modules or battery cells may be placed within the common enclosure. Slidably mountable features of at least some of the components within the enclosure help promote this modularity. The enclosure includes a tray that defines a substantially constant section along a mounting surface that corresponds to a stacking axis of the aligned prismatic cells or modules. Numerous brackets that can help secure the batteries, their electrical leads or components are disposed along a portion of the mounting surface such that the cooperation between the brackets and the mounting surface of the tray is invariant, regardless of where along the elongate dimension the cooperation occurs.

Abstract: A vehicle cargo bed has reconfigurable drop side and tail panels. Tail lights are incorporated within the reconfigurable panels. Each side panel is hinged with respect to the cargo bed so that the side panel can pivot downwardly to a cargo bed widening horizontal position or upwardly to a vertical or horizontal position spaced from the cargo bed. The cargo bed includes a storage box accessible through the side entrance. The side panel may also be hinged with respect to itself to form a lip or small restraining wall.

Abstract: There is disclosed a rearward closure assembly for an automotive vehicle. The assembly includes a rear panel and a rearward roof panel that can be moved along track guides that extend from a rear portion of the vehicle to the top of the vehicle. The rear panel can be translated from a first position to a second position such that the rear panel and roof panel are generally opposing and parallel to each other to open a lower portion of a rearward passageway of the vehicle. Thereafter, the rear panel and the roof panel can be translated above a top portion of the vehicle to open an upper portion of the rearward passageway.