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Disclosed are shear plates for structurally connecting vehicle chassis front cradles to battery pack support trays, methods for making and methods for using such shear plates, and electric vehicles with a chassis frame having a front cradle coupled to a battery pack support tray by a shear plate. A

Disclosed are shear plates for structurally connecting vehicle chassis front cradles to battery pack support trays, methods for making and methods for using such shear plates, and electric vehicles with a chassis frame having a front cradle coupled to a battery pack support tray by a shear plate. A shear plate is disclosed for connecting a front cradle to a traction battery pack. The shear plate includes an elongated plate body with opposing fore and aft braces connected by opposing starboard and port braces. The fore brace directly mechanically couples to a cross member of the front cradle, whereas the aft brace directly mechanically couples to a support tray of the traction battery pack. The shear plate's elongated body is designed to transmit in-plane and torsional forces received from the front cradle via the fore brace, through the starboard and port braces, to the support tray via the aft brace.

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1. A shear plate for an electric vehicle with a chassis frame and a traction battery pack, the chassis frame including a front cradle with a cradle rail connected to a cradle cross member, and the traction battery pack including an electric battery module mounted on a support tray, the shear plate c

1. A shear plate for an electric vehicle with a chassis frame and a traction battery pack, the chassis frame including a front cradle with a cradle rail connected to a cradle cross member, and the traction battery pack including an electric battery module mounted on a support tray, the shear plate comprising: an elongated plate body with opposing fore and aft braces connected by opposing starboard and port braces, the fore brace being configured to mechanically couple to the cradle cross member of the front cradle, and the aft brace being configured to mechanically couple to the support tray of the traction battery pack, the elongated plate body further including a plurality of ribs disposed between the starboard and port braces and connecting the fore and aft braces,wherein the elongated plate body is configured to transmit load forces received from the front cradle via the fore brace, through the starboard and port braces, to the support tray via the aft brace. 2. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein each of the ribs extends from the fore brace at an oblique angle. 3. The shear plate of claim 2, wherein the plurality of ribs includes a first rib extending from the fore brace at a first oblique angle and a second rib extending from the fore brace at a second oblique angle distinct from the first oblique angle. 4. The shear plate of claim 2, wherein the plurality of ribs includes a first rib extending from the fore and aft braces at first fore and aft oblique angles, respectively, and a second rib extending from the fore and aft braces at second fore and aft oblique angles, respectively, the second fore and aft oblique angles being respectively distinct from the first fore and aft oblique angles. 5. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ribs includes multiple pairs of angled ribs, wherein each of the pairs of angled ribs is interconnected with the fore brace to cooperatively define a triangular plan-view construction. 6. The shear plate of claim 5, wherein the pairs of angled ribs includes a first pair of angled ribs defining a first triangular plan-view construction and a second pair of angled ribs defining a second triangular plan-view construction distinct from the first triangular plan-view construction. 7. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the elongated plate body further includes an interface surface configured to lay flush against a cradle surface of the cradle cross member and a frame surface of the support tray. 8. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the aft brace includes a rearward-facing edge contoured to sit flush against a forward-facing edge of the support tray. 9. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the fore brace includes a first series of bolt holes configured to receive therethrough fasteners to thereby directly mount the elongated plate body to the cradle cross member, and wherein the aft brace includes a second series of bolt holes configured to receive therethrough fasteners to thereby directly mount the elongated plate body to the support tray. 10. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the starboard and port braces are configured to mechanically couple to forward side rails of the chassis frame. 11. The shear plate of claim 1, wherein the elongated plate body, including the fore and aft braces and the starboard and port braces, is integrally formed as a single-piece unitary structure. 12. The shear plate of claim 11, wherein the elongated plate body is a stamped metal panel with the fore, aft, starboard and port braces contiguously formed as a continuous rim. 13. An electric vehicle, comprising: a chassis frame with a front cradle having a pair of laterally spaced cradle rails connected by a transversely oriented cradle cross member;a traction battery pack anchored to the chassis frame and including a plurality of electric battery modules mounted on a support tray;an electric motor mounted above the front cradle and electrically connected to the traction battery pack; anda shear plate including an elongated plate body with opposing transversely oriented fore and aft braces connected by opposing laterally spaced starboard and port braces, the starboard and port braces being mechanically coupled to the chassis frame, the fore brace being directly mechanically coupled to the cradle cross member, and the aft brace being directly mechanically coupled to the support tray, the elongated plate body further including a plurality of ribs disposed between the starboard and port braces and connecting the fore and aft braces,wherein the elongated plate body is configured to transmit in-plane and torsional load forces received from the front cradle via the fore brace, through the ribs and the starboard and port braces, to the support tray via the aft brace.