Have a Configuration or Custom Project to Brief?
Send the configuration brief or custom-project goal to the export team — they’ll route it to the right R&D contact and come back within one business day with feasibility and a next-stage plan.
Research & Development
R&D Support for Parts Matching and Vehicle Platforms
LVHANG runs in-house R&D across the Xuzhou plant and a joint R&D center in Shanghai Pudong, with 40+ patents covering frame, suspension and drivetrain work. Our engineering team connects configuration requests with design review, prototype validation and production-ready vehicle or parts programs.
40+
In-house patents
150+
Engineers on R&D & production
Xuzhou + Shanghai
In-house R&D footprint
15
Models in active production
What R&D Owns
Five Areas We Engineer In-House
“In-house R&D” means our engineers own the design of the things that decide whether a vehicle survives a working day. These are the areas where a configuration change isn’t a sourcing decision — it’s an engineering decision we make.
Chassis Geometry
Wheelbase, track width, load distribution, frame stiffness under different cargo configurations. The chassis is where every payload number on every product page comes from — if we say a cargo box carries a rated load, the frame underneath was designed and bench-tested for it.
Drivetrain Layout
Motor placement, controller mounting, voltage standards (60V / 72V) and the way battery, motor and controller talk to each other across grades, climbs and stop-start city duty. Drivetrain layout is the difference between a model rated for one route type and one that handles several.
Cargo Body & Cabin Structure
Open-bed, tipper, dry-van, refrigerated and passenger cabin structures — sized to payload class, configured for the side- and rear-door access patterns the operation actually uses. Cabin structures are engineered for occupant protection at the speed class the model targets.
Suspension & Load Distribution
Spring rates, damper settings and load-path engineering so the vehicle handles the rated payload without bottoming out or compromising steering geometry. Suspension is one of the patent categories — particular to the way a three-wheel platform distributes weight under load.
Battery & Electrical System Integration
Battery pack design across lead-acid and lithium chemistries, charge / discharge characteristics matched to the route, harness routing for ease of in-service repair, and the documentation pack (including UN38.3 for sea-freight) required for export. Battery integration changes between models — we don’t bolt a stock pack onto every chassis.
Patent Categories
What the 40+ Patents Actually Cover
Patents are a poor signal on their own — lots of factories hold lots of patents that don’t matter on a production vehicle. Below is the working breakdown of where ours actually live in the things that decide unit quality.
Frame & Suspension
Chassis geometry, frame welds, suspension load paths and the way three-wheel platforms distribute payload. The largest single patent category — because frame is what every other spec on the vehicle relies on.
Drivetrain & Motor Mounting
Motor placement, controller integration and drivetrain layout for LVHANG electric tricycles and golf cart configurations — the engineering that decides whether a route needs stronger climbing, longer range, or simpler daily service.
Chassis Geometry & Load Distribution
Wheelbase, track width and the three-wheel platform’s load-distribution engineering — the work that makes rated payload survivable across the cargo family without compromising steering and stability.
Cabin Structure
Passenger cabin geometry across semi-closed and enclosed variants — sized to occupant protection at the speed class the model targets and to the access patterns the operation actually uses.
Design-to-Production Flow
How a Request Becomes a Producible Vehicle
Six stages from a buyer’s configuration ask to a unit rolling off the final-assembly line. Most distributor orders only touch the lockdown and production stages; OEM / ODM projects go through all six.
1
Brief & Feasibility
Configuration goals captured: route, load, climate, regulation, volume. R&D confirms what’s in scope vs. what would need OEM-level work.
2
Concept & CAD
Engineering owns the CAD model for any new structure — chassis, cabin, cargo body. Existing modules reused where they fit; new geometry designed where they don’t.
3
Prototype
A small batch of prototype vehicles is built off the same production line for representative manufacturing conditions, not a lab one-off.
4
Bench Test
Load test, brake test, electrical safety, environmental conditions where relevant. The findings often reshape the design before field test — the failures we publish on Failure Cases live here.
5
Field Test
Prototypes deployed on representative routes for sustained operation. Bench-test data is necessary but not sufficient — real duty cycles surface issues that bench rigs miss.
6
Production Lockdown
Final spec frozen, production tooling cut, line scheduled. From this point the configuration is producible at volume on the standard line.
FAQ
What Distributors Ask About R&D
Configuration = picking from the existing options on a standard model (body, battery, voltage, paint). Happens within the standard production slot. OEM = your brand on our standard vehicle, sometimes with cosmetic body or trim changes. ODM = we design a vehicle, body or system to your specification, with R&D involvement from the brief stage. ODM adds lead time and tooling cost; the export team prices each project case-by-case.
Yes — through the OEM / ODM intake. The questions we’ll ask up front: what’s the route, load and regulatory target? Is the design intended for one market or several? What’s the realistic annual volume so we can amortise tooling? See the OEM / ODM program overview, then send the brief to the export team.
Depends entirely on whether existing modules cover what you need or whether new geometry has to be designed. A cosmetic OEM project (paint, badging, minor body changes) fits into a standard production slot. A new cabin or cargo body adds tooling and bench-test time. A new drivetrain or chassis is a multi-month project. The brief stage is where the timeline becomes concrete.
IP arrangements are written into the OEM / ODM agreement before any design work starts — we don’t default-claim ownership and we don’t default-assign it. The right structure depends on how much investment each side makes, whether the design is exclusive to one market, and what protection makes sense for both parties. The export team scopes this at the brief stage.
Both. The Xuzhou plant has the engineering staff that work directly with production — closer to the line, closer to the prototypes. The joint R&D center in Shanghai Pudong handles the design-stage work and brings in specialist skills. Most projects use both, with handoffs structured around prototype and bench-test stages.