An Engineering Perspective on Cradle and Saddle Mount Configurations

The evolution of electric vehicles (EVs) also demands the evolution of powertrain mounting systems to achieve superior Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) performance. This study presents a comparative evaluation of cradle, saddle and ladder mounting systems in EV applications. Examples of experimental modal analysis and vehicle-level vibration tests were performed in order to evaluate structure-borne noise transmission as well as airborne noise transfer under operating conditions. Important parameters like mount stiffness, isolation efficiency and dynamic load distribution were performed. These findings provide valuable guidance for selecting optimal mount strategies to enhance occupant comfort and acoustic quality in future EV designs. Recommendations for mount system improvements considering evolving EV architectures are also discussed. This work provides a crucial, experimentally-validated framework for selecting optimal mounting architectures, addressing a key gap in the transition from ICE-based intuition to EV-specific design principles.