Electric Vehicle Chassis Fabrication for Ree Automotive
Ree Automotive, an industry-leading commercial vehicle provider, contracted Universal Fabrications to manufacture a self-driving 3.5-tonne electric vehicle chassis for its product launch in Las Vegas. Working from a design developed with Williams Advanced Engineering, we provided full project management through to delivery. With over 45 years’ experience manufacturing complex metal fabrications for the automotive, specialist vehicle and defence sectors, we were able to take the chassis from drawings to finished, painted units on a fixed launch date.
The Challenge
The chassis is 6 metres long and rated at 3.5 tonnes, and had to meet Ree’s design, functionality and safety requirements while keeping weight to a minimum. A chassis of that length is sensitive to distortion during welding, so holding overall and critical dimensions across every unit was essential. On top of that, the programme was working to a US product launch deadline that could not move.
Universal Fabrications’ Role
An experienced Project Manager, Lead Design Engineer and Lead Welding Engineer formed a dedicated team and ran the project from start to finish. We cut and formed the sheet metal parts in-house, then manufactured bespoke welding fixtures to hold overall and critical dimensions during assembly. The chassis were MIG welded by our BS EN ISO 9606-2 coded welders, underpinned by our BS EN ISO 3834-2 welding capabilities and ISO 9001 quality standards, before receiving an automotive paint finish. All 20 units were built in a dedicated vehicle assembly area within our 40,000 sq ft Nuneaton facility.
Why It Mattered
Twenty chassis were delivered, and the vehicle was showcased at the EV Pulse show. Investing in dedicated fixtures and a dedicated build area meant every chassis matched the next, and a single project team gave Ree one point of contact from start to finish. It’s the same approach we bring to our EV battery enclosures and specialist vehicle work: getting the engineering right early so production runs smoothly to deadline.
Ree Automotive Chassis at the EV Pulse Show
Have an EV chassis or specialist vehicle project? Call 02476 370272 or email email@universalfabrications.com.
Speak to a Manufacturing Specialist today. Call 02476 370 272 or send us an email.
