Design and FEM validation of a L7e vehicle chassis

The objective of this master's thesis is to engineer the chassis of a heavy quadricycle (category L7e) with electric powertrain and autonomous driving, for passenger transport. The project, developed during the internship at the start-up ToMove, aims to define a structural architecture that meets European regulatory requirements for type approval, technical and stylistic constraints, and fundamental criteria of safety, structural integrity and lightweight. The project is organised in four primary phases: 1)??Defining and specifying regulatory, internal design and stylistic requirements. 2)??Analysing and adapting a donor vehicle chassis to create a running prototype. 3)??Developing the final chassis frame as a refinement of the initial prototype, optimised for the final vehicle. 4)??Validating and comparing the two chassis through simulations conducted using finite element analysis methods. The thesis, therefore, describes a complete engineering workflow, from the physical prototype to the optimisation of the final vehicle design, providing essential structural validation for the vehicle's development and contributing effectively to the advancement of sustainable and autonomous urban mobility.