Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc. (ELMS) has filed a provisional patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) related to the development of its EV crash protection system to improve vehicle and occupant safety and battery stability in the event of a collision.
“This design – just one part of our EV crash protection system – is a testament to our capability to design and engineer leading safety technologies specific to commercial EVs,” says Praveen Cherian, ELMS’ vice president of engineering. “Our most recent crash test incorporating the design yielded positive results, and we believe that these indicate we are on the right track to produce the Urban Delivery later this year.”
The design encompassed in ELMS’ provisional patent application allows for the hollow channel bumper, crash boxes, tubular supports and ring assembly to crumple in stages upon frontal impact to absorb and redirect the energy to protect the occupant, as well as the high-voltage battery.
ELMS expects to hold its next round of crash tests in August and intends to use the energy-absorbing front body vehicle assembly design in the Urban Delivery, which the company intends to launch later this year.
Urban Delivery is expected to be the first Class 1 commercial electric vehicle available in the U.S. market and will be produced at the company’s 675,000-square-foot plant in Mishawaka, Ind.