IIRC that’s exactly the approach China is taking. It seems very sensible. The only immediate downside that I can see is that it eliminates the “skateboard deck”

IIRC that’s exactly the approach China is taking. It seems very sensible. The only immediate downside that I can see is that it eliminates the “skateboard deck” advantages of a stiffer, but lighter, design. The immediate upside, otoh, is that a failing battery pack no longer requires a big servicing job; indeed, no battery pack should ever reach a failure point while in the car, because it’ll be detected during a recharge cycle.