Electric Vehicle Frame
SKU: FL-AK-009
Lightweight EV frame components. Aluminum or steel, optimized for weight.
| Material | Aluminum 6061 / Q235 steel |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | Laser cutting + bending + welding + powder coating |
| Surface Finish | Powder coating |
| Tolerance | ±0.3mm |
| Dimensions | Custom per EV model |
| Weight optimization | Yes |
| Finish | Powder coating |
| MOQ | 20 units |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Time | Not applicable |
| Sample Fee | N/A |
| Price Range | USD 220-680/unit |
| Applications | Electric vehicles, e-mobility |
| Compliance | ISO 9001, GB/T 31467 |
| Export Markets | USA, Germany, Norway, China |
An EV frame sits between two constraints that pull against each other: it has to be light enough to matter for range, and stiff enough to carry the battery mass and survive the load cases the vehicle is designed for. Weight optimisation on this part is therefore a stiffness question before it is a material question.
What an Electric Vehicle Frame Has to Carry
The frame on this page is built in aluminium 6061 or Q235 steel, cut, bent, welded and powder coated, to the geometry of the specific vehicle model. Unlike a combustion chassis, the heaviest single item is the battery pack, and its mass is distributed rather than concentrated. That changes where the frame has to be stiff: the mounting points carry a large, flat, evenly distributed load, and the structure has to resist twisting between them rather than bending at a single point.
Aluminium 6061 is chosen where the weight saving is worth the material and joining cost. Q235 is chosen where cost, repairability and joining simplicity matter more, and it remains competitive when the section can be made thinner because the stiffness comes from the shape rather than the plate.
Battery Interface and Weld Sequence Come First
- Battery mounting interface — hole pattern, flatness at the seating faces, and the access needed to fit and remove the pack. This is the dimension that has to be right first.
- Weld sequence and distortion — a long, thin structure moves as it is welded. The sequence, the fixturing and the joint design are decided together, not separately.
- Aluminium versus steel joining — the route changes with the material: filler, heat input, post-weld treatment and what can be done in-house.
- Corrosion protection at dissimilar joints — where aluminium and steel meet, the coating and the isolation detail need specifying rather than assuming.
These belong in DFM engineering review before the first part, because a frame is expensive to re-fixture.
How Frame Geometry Is Verified
Inspection follows the buyer drawing and the approved sample. On a welded frame the checks that matter are the mounting-point positions relative to each other, the flatness of the seating faces, the overall envelope, and the condition of the welded joints. General tolerances follow the drawing’s stated class; specific tolerances such as the ±0.3 mm on this part apply where the drawing marks them.
Where a finished vehicle has to satisfy a standard such as GB/T 31467 for the battery pack, that testing and the associated certification belong to the vehicle or pack manufacturer and their nominated body. Our scope is the frame as drawn. Material documentation is issued with the batch; see material certification and traceability.
Aluminium or steel for this frame?
Send the target vehicle mass, the pack mass and the mounting layout and the comparison is made on stiffness-per-kilogram and total cost, rather than on material price alone. The answer changes with volume.
Can you weld to our existing jig?
Yes if the jig defines the same datums as the drawing. If it does not, the fixtures are built to the drawing and the parts are tried in the customer jig as a check.
What is needed for a quotation?
The STEP model, the 2D drawing with tolerances and interfaces marked, material, the split between prototype and batch quantity, and the destination market. Timing is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote Electric Vehicle Frame?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for Electric Vehicle Frame — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review under NDA.
Before you send drawings: an NDA is signed on request · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.