CN111183088B - Chassis for electric automobile and electric automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

A chassis for an electric vehicle has a bottom surface, a battery box having one or more cylindrical storage sections, a left side sill, a right side sill, a first left frame, a first right frame, and a first connecting section. When an impact due to a collision is input to the first left frame and the first right frame from a side away from the battery case, the first left frame and the first right frame transmit the impact to the left side sill and the right side sill and are transmitted to the battery case through the first connecting portion to be dispersed.

Description

Chassis for electric automobile and electric automobile

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a chassis for an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle.

Background

For example, japanese patent laid-open No. 2012-201283 discloses an electric vehicle chassis in which a middle frame having a substantially U-shaped cross section and extending in the front-rear direction is fixed to a planar lower side plate by welding or the like, and a cylindrical battery box in which a battery is disposed is formed inside. On the chassis, frames extending in the front-rear direction in the left-right direction are disposed in the left-right direction of the center frame. In the chassis, the intermediate frame and the frames in the left-right direction are coupled to form a flat floor surface, and an occupant space (occupant compartment) is formed on the upper side thereof. The rear end of the sub-frame serving as a shock absorber against a frontal collision is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface of the front side of the center frame.

For example, when an impact generated by a front collision is input to the chassis of japanese patent laid-open No. 2012 and 201283, the impact is received by the sub-frame, and the impact is transmitted to the battery box through the sub-frame. Further, the impact is transmitted from the battery case to the lower side plate and the frame in the left-right direction.

For example, in a chassis of an automobile in which an engine, a battery, or a trunk is disposed in front of a passenger space, an appropriate space is secured in front of the passenger space in preparation for a frontal collision. In general, a multiple load path structure is adopted to transmit and distribute impacts at the time of a collision to a plurality of paths at a position forward of the occupant space with respect to a frontal collision, thereby suppressing deformation of the occupant space as much as possible.

In a chassis for an electric vehicle having a structure in which a battery box extends in a front-rear direction, when an impact due to a front collision or a rear collision is input, it is desirable to disperse the input impact over a plurality of paths and suppress deformation of a passenger space as much as possible.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide a chassis for an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle, wherein the chassis for the electric vehicle is provided with a battery box which is capable of dispersing impact during collision to a plurality of paths in front of or behind a passenger space during a front collision or a rear collision, and is capable of inhibiting deformation of the passenger space as much as possible and extending in the front-rear direction.

A chassis for an electric vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a bottom surface; a battery case located above the bottom surface and having one or more cylindrical storage sections extending in the front-rear direction; the left lower longitudinal beam is arranged on the left side of the storage battery box; the right lower longitudinal beam is arranged on the right side of the storage battery box; a first left frame that is separate from the battery box, is located at one end in the front-rear direction of the battery box in a direction opposite to the other end in the front-rear direction of the battery box, and is continuous with a left side surface of the left side sill that faces the left side; a first right frame that is separate from the battery box, is located at one end in the front-rear direction of the battery box in a direction opposite to the other end in the front-rear direction of the battery box, and is continuous with a right side surface of the right side sill facing the right side; and a first connecting portion extending in the left-right direction at or near the one end and connecting the first left frame and the battery box and the first right frame and the battery box. When a wheel center of a front-most wheel and a wheel center of a rear-most wheel among the plurality of wheels are defined as a wheel base, the storage unit of the battery box can dispose a front end and a rear end of the columnar battery within a range of the wheel base. When an impact due to a collision is input to the first left frame and the first right frame from a side away from the battery case, the first left frame and the first right frame transmit the impact to the left side sill and the right side sill and are transmitted to the battery case through the first connecting portion to be dispersed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing an electric vehicle according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2A is a schematic side view showing a chassis of an electric vehicle of the electric vehicle according to the first embodiment as viewed from the left side.

Fig. 2B is a schematic plan view of the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 2B in fig. 2A.

Fig. 2C is a schematic bottom view of the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 2C in fig. 2A.

Fig. 2D is a schematic front view of the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 2D in fig. 2A.

Fig. 2E is a schematic rear view of the chassis of the electric vehicle viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 2E in fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship among the front side frame, the square tube (battery housing section), the rear side frame, the front cover, the rear cover, the battery, the front pressure reducing valve, and the rear pressure reducing valve of the chassis of the electric vehicle according to the first embodiment, and showing a state in which the battery is housed in the battery housing section by covering the battery housing section with the front cover and the rear cover.

Fig. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front cover and the rear cover are opened with respect to the battery housing portion shown in fig. 3A, and the battery can be inserted into and removed from the battery housing portion.

Fig. 4A is a schematic side view of an electric vehicle showing the electric vehicle according to the second embodiment as viewed from the left side.

Fig. 4B is a schematic plan view of the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 4B in fig. 4A.

Fig. 4C is a bottom view schematically showing the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 4C in fig. 4A.

Fig. 4D is a schematic front view of the chassis of the electric vehicle as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 4D in fig. 4A.

Fig. 4E is a schematic rear view of the chassis of the electric vehicle viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow 4E in fig. 4A.

Fig. 4F is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 4F-4F in fig. 4B, showing a chassis of the electric vehicle.

Fig. 4G is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 4G-4G in fig. 4A, showing a chassis of the electric vehicle.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a relationship among a plate-like body, a battery box, and a seat arrangement portion of an electric vehicle according to a modification of the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an example of the electric vehicle 10 or 210 that does not emit carbon dioxide or other harmful substances during stop or traveling will be described.

(first embodiment)

An electric vehicle 10 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3B.

In the electric vehicle 10 shown in fig. 1 to 2E, a longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction), a horizontal direction (horizontal direction), and a vertical direction (vertical direction) are defined.

In a general electric vehicle 10, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction are always constant. When the electric vehicle 10 moves by so-called autonomous driving, a predetermined driver seat S1 and a steering wheel SW, which will be described later, may not be necessary. In the case where the electric vehicle 10 moves by the autonomous driving, the up-down direction of the electric vehicle 10 is always constant, but there is a possibility that the front direction (front direction), the rear direction (rear direction), the left direction (left direction), and the right direction (right direction) may change depending on the traveling direction. When the electric vehicle 10 moves by autonomous driving, depending on the direction of travel, the front side frame 24, the rear side frame 26, the left side frame 28, and the right side frame 30, which will be described later, may be rear side frames, front side frames, right side frames, and left side frames, respectively.

The left side frame 28 is fixed to the base 22 in the left direction of a left side sill 62, which will be described later, by welding, for example, and is further fastened by bolts as necessary. The right side frame 30 is fixed to the base 22 in the right direction of a right side sill 64, which will be described later, by welding, for example, and is further fastened by a bolt as necessary.

The left side frame 28 and the right side frame 30 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS along a vertical direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction at the center in the horizontal direction (the center of the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48) of the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the base 22, which will be described later.

The chassis 12 of the electric vehicle 10 described in the present embodiment will be described as a case of 4 wheels in total, in which 2 wheels are provided on the front side and 2 wheels are provided on the rear side. The chassis 12 may also have 4 wheels on the front side and 2 wheels on the rear side. The chassis 12 may also have 2 wheels on the front side and 4 wheels on the rear side. The number of wheels and tires mounted to the chassis 12 is appropriately set.

The electric vehicle 10 has a chassis (platform) 12 and a vehicle body 14 mounted to the chassis 12. The vehicle body 14 is mounted on the upper side of the chassis 12, and forms a passenger space together with a base 22 of the chassis 12, which will be described later. The vehicle body 14 can have an appropriate structure. The vehicle body 14 may be a so-called frame structure (trapezoidal structure), but may also be a so-called frameless structure that is capable of absorbing energy upon collision with an object in cooperation with the chassis 12. The vehicle body 14 is provided with connectors (not shown) for charging batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4, which will be described later.

The chassis 12 has, for example, a base (main frame) 22, a front side frame 24, and a rear side frame 26. An occupant space (occupant compartment) is formed above the base 22 together with the vehicle body 14. Front side frame 24 is positioned in a front direction with respect to base 22. The rear side frame 26 is located in the rear direction with respect to the base 22. In the present embodiment, the chassis 12 has a left side frame 28 and a right side frame 30. The left side frame 28 is located in the left direction (left side) with respect to the base 22. The right side frame 30 is located in the right direction (right side) with respect to the base 22. The left side frame 28 and the right side frame 30 are not necessarily required to be different in shape depending on the side sills 62 and 64 described later.

In the present embodiment, the front end 22a of the base 22 is the front end (one end) in the front-rear direction of a square tube (battery box) 52, 54, 56, 58 described later. The rear end 22b of the base 22 is the rear end (the other end) of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 in the front-rear direction.

Front suspensions FS1, FS2, rear suspensions RS1, RS2 are attached to the base 22. Suspensions FS1, FS2 are provided between the base 22 and/or front side frame 24 and the wheels FW1, FW 2. Suspensions RS1, RS2 are provided between the base 22 and/or rear side frame 26 and the wheels RW1, RW 2.

As the suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, and RS2, a free-standing structure in which the wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, and RW2 operate independently is preferably used. The suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, RS2 may be appropriately selected according to various forms. Here, a strut type is used as an example. In the suspension FS1, a motor FM1, a brake, a stay, a lower arm (suspension arm), and the like are supported relative to a known knuckle. The other suspensions FS2, RS1, and RS2 are formed in the same manner. The front suspensions FS1 and FS2 and the rear suspensions RS1 and RS2 may be of different types.

The strut of the suspension FS1 is supported by the floor 42, the left side 46, or the body 14 of the chassis 12. Similarly, the strut of the suspension FS2 is supported by the floor 42, right side 48, or body 14 of the chassis 12.

A motor FM1 is attached to the suspension FS 1. A wheel FW1 is mounted on the motor FM 1. Similarly, a wheel FW2 is mounted on the suspension FS2 via a motor FM 2. A wheel RW1 is mounted on the suspension RS1 via a motor RM 1. A wheel RW2 is mounted on the suspension RS2 via a motor RM 2. The motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM2 are disposed in wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, and RW2, respectively. Therefore, the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM2 are in-wheel motors. Motors FM1 and FM2 are located on the left and right outer sides of base 22 and front side frame 24. The motors RM1, RM2 are located on the left and right outer sides of the base 22 and the rear side frame 26.

Inverters INV are electrically connected to the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2 and the batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 via electric wires. The inverter INV converts a direct current from the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 into an alternating current, and adjusts the frequency and the amount of current. As an example, the inverter INV is disposed in the left side frame 28. The inverter INV may be disposed on the right side frame 30, the front side frame 24, or the rear side frame 26. The inverter INV is controlled by the control unit ECU via electric wires. As an example, the control unit ECU is disposed in the right side frame 30. The control unit ECU controls the steering wheel SW, the accelerator, the brake, and the like in addition to the inverter INV.

Each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM2 is driven by electric power supplied from batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 disposed in the base 22 to rotate wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, and RW 2. Each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM2 is driven by controlling the rotation speed independently of the inverter INV disposed at an appropriate position.

Tires, not shown, are mounted on the wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, and RW2, respectively.

A brake system such as a brake disc, not shown, is preferably attached to each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM 2. The brake disk can be not required depending on the control performance of the inverter INV for each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM 2.

The rotation centers of the front wheels FW1 and FW2 are coaxial and serve as a rotation center C1. The rotation centers of the rear wheels RW1 and RW2 are coaxial, and are defined as a rotation center C2. The wheel base is defined as the distance between the centers of rotation C1, C2. Even if there are many more wheels from the chassis 12, the wheel base is defined as between the wheel center C1 of the front-most wheels FW1, FW2 and the wheel center C2 of the rear-most wheels RW1, RW 2.

In the present embodiment, a four-wheel drive example in which motors FM1, FM2, RM1, and RM2 are attached to suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, and RS2 will be described. In the case of front wheel drive, the motors RM1, RM2 in the wheels RW1, RW2 can be eliminated. In this case, the wheels RW1, RW2 are supported by suspensions RS1, RS 2. In the case of rear wheel drive, the motors FM1 and FM2 in the wheels FW1 and FW2 can be eliminated. In this case, the wheels FW1, FW2 are supported by suspensions FS1, FS 2. Further, as long as balance can be obtained during running, the motor may be disposed only on one of the four wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, and RW 2.

Depending on the performance of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, the horsepower required by the electric vehicle 10, etc., the motors may be present not all at all but only at a portion of the wheels. That is, the number of wheels and the number of motors may be the same, or the number of wheels may be more than the number of motors. In the absence of a motor in the wheel, the wheel is rotatably supported, for example, with respect to a knuckle (hub) of the suspension.

Here, front side frame 24 is located on the front side of front end 22a of base 22, and the position on the rear side of front end 22a is referred to as base 22. The position on the front side of the rear end 22b of the base 22 is referred to as a base 22, and the position on the rear side of the rear end 22b is referred to as a rear side frame 26. In the present embodiment, the front end 22a is located at the same position as or forward of the axis C1 in the front-rear direction. The rear end 22b is located at the same position as or rearward of the axis C2 in the front-rear direction. The front frame 24 is provided on the front side of the position deviated from the wheel base, and the rear frame 26 is provided on the rear side of the position deviated from the wheel base. That is, the rear end of front side frame 24 is located at the same position as axis C1 in the front-rear direction, or is located on the front side (outer side) of the wheel base. The front end of the rear side frame 26 is located at the same position as the axis C2 in the front-rear direction, or at the rear side (outer side) of the wheel base.

The base 22 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in appearance. The base 22 has a floor surface 42 and a bottom surface 44 facing the road surface on the side opposite to the floor surface 42. In the present embodiment, the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 are formed flat. The floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 are not limited to a flat state, and can be formed to protrude by attaching appropriate parts, for example.

The chassis 12 has a left side surface 46 formed by a side sill 62 of the base 22, which will be described later, and a left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24, which will be described later, and extending in the front-rear direction. The left side surface 46 is formed continuously with the left side outer side surface of the left side sill 62 and the left front frame 72. The chassis 12 has a right side surface 48 formed by a side sill 64 of the base 22, which will be described later, and a right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24, which will be described later, and extending in the front-rear direction. The right side surface 48 is formed continuously with the right outer side surface of the right side sill 64 and the right front frame 74.

One or more seats are mounted on the floor surface 42. Here, an example in which 4 seats S1, S2, S3, and S4 are mounted on the floor surface 42 will be described. The number of seats is appropriately set.

The floor surface 42, the bottom surface 44, and the pair of side surfaces 46 and 48 are formed to have a length in the front-rear direction longer than a length (width) in the left-right direction. The distance between the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 (the thickness of the base 22) is formed smaller than the length of the base 22 in the left-right direction.

The length of the base 22 in the front-rear direction is, for example, 1200mm to 2200mm, the length (width) in the left-right direction is, for example, 800mm to 1500mm, and the length (height) in the up-down direction is, for example, 100mm to 150 mm.

The center of rotation C1 of the wheels FW1, FW2 is located between the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the pedestal 22. The upper end of front side frame 24 is located on the upper side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C1 of wheels FW1 and FW 2. The lower end of front side frame 24 is located on the lower side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C1 of wheels FW1 and FW 2.

In the chassis 12 of the present embodiment, the motors FM1, FM2 are mounted on wheels FW1, FW 2. Therefore, no through-hole for passing the drive shaft is required in the base 22 and/or the front side frame 24. Left and right side surfaces 46 and 48 of base 22 and front side frame 24 of chassis 12 are formed without holes. In particular, when the rotation center C1 of the wheel FW1 is extended from the wheel FW1 toward the left side surface 46, no hole is formed in the intersection region with the left side surface 46. When the rotation center C1 of the wheel FW2 is extended from the wheel FW2 toward the right side surface 48, no hole is formed in the intersection region with the right side surface 48. That is, the positions of the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48 where the extensions of the wheel centers C1 of the front wheels FW1 and FW2 intersect are closed without being blocked. Therefore, it is not necessary to form left and right side surfaces 46 and 48 of base 22 and front side frame 24 into complicated shapes. Since no hole may be formed in the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48, the degree of freedom in designing the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48 can be increased.

Each of the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24, which will be described later, is preferably hollow and substantially rectangular when viewed in cross section defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction perpendicular to the front-back direction. That is, the front side frame 24 has a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to an axis extending in the front direction (front-rear direction).

The center of rotation C2 of the wheels RW1, RW2 is located between the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. The upper ends of the rear side frames 26 are located on the upper side with respect to the rotational centers (wheel centers) C2 of the wheels RW1, RW 2. The lower end of the rear side frame 26 is located on the lower side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C2 of the wheels RW1, RW 2.

In the chassis 12 of the present embodiment, the motors RM1, RM2 are attached to the wheels RW1, RW 2. Therefore, no through-hole for passing the drive shaft is required in the base 22 and/or the rear side frame 26. The left and right side surfaces 46 and 48 of the base 22 and the rear frame 26 are formed without holes. That is, the positions of the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48 where the extensions of the wheel centers C2 of the wheels RW1 and RW2 in the last row intersect are closed without any hole. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the left and right side surfaces 46 and 48 of the base 22 and the rear frame 26 into complicated shapes. Since no hole may be formed in the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48, the degree of freedom in designing the left side surface 46 and the right side surface 48 can be increased.

The rear frame 26 preferably has a hollow substantially rectangular shape when viewed in cross section defined by a left-right direction and a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, respectively, and a left rear frame 76 and a right rear frame 78 described later. That is, the rear side frame 26 has a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to an axis extending in the rear direction (front-rear direction).

As an example, the base 22 has a battery box (a plurality of square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58) and side sills (door waists) 62, 64. The plurality of square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are all positioned above the bottom surface 44. The left side sill 62 is disposed on the left side of the square tube 52. The right side sill 64 is disposed on the right side of the square tube 58. The square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged in the left-right direction. The respective square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are opened in the forward and backward directions. The plurality of square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are disposed between the side sills 62, 64.

Here, an example in which the base 22 has 4 square tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 will be described. The number of the square tubes is set to 1, 2, 3, or even 5 as appropriate according to the shape of a battery to be described later. The number of the square pipes is set as appropriate according to, for example, the size and the use of the chassis 12.

The plurality of square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 preferably have the same cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the same length along the front-rear direction.

The side sills 62, 64 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center in the left-right direction of the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, the description will be given of the case where the cross sections orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the side sills 62, 64 are the same and the lengths along the front-rear direction are the same.

The square tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are formed in a tubular shape having a substantially rectangular cross section (a cross section defined in the left-right direction and the up-down direction) perpendicular to the front-back direction. Since the square tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are hollow, they can be made lighter and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the solid tubes. The cross sections of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 perpendicular to the front-rear direction may be square or rectangular. In the present embodiment, the cross sections of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 perpendicular to the front-rear direction are formed in substantially rectangular shapes. The square tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 need to have load resistance against collision from the front and the rear while achieving appropriate weight reduction. Therefore, it is preferable to use square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 without seams.

The side sills 62, 64 are formed in a tubular shape having a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the side sills 62, 64 are lighter in weight and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the case of being solid. The cross section of the side sills 62, 64 orthogonal to the front-rear direction may be square or rectangular.

The lateral widths of the side sills 62, 64 are preferably smaller than the lateral widths of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58. The vertical height of the side sills 62, 64 may be the same as or higher than the vertical height of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58. That is, the upper surfaces of the side sills 62, 64 may protrude upward from the floor surface 42 formed by the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58.

In the present embodiment, the floor surface 42 is formed by the upper surfaces of the side sills 62 and 64 and the upper surfaces of the square pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 in a continuous planar shape. The bottom surfaces of the side sills 62, 64 and the bottom surfaces of the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 form the bottom surface 44 in a continuous planar shape.

The square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are preferably made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy. Here, the square pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are described as being formed by extrusion molding of an aluminum alloy, for example. Instead of aluminum alloy, other metal materials such as square steel pipes may be used for the square pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58. The square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are not limited to metal materials, and may be formed of reinforced plastics such as CFRP.

The square pipes 52 and 54 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction are connected by welding, for example. The welding is preferably continuous in the front-rear direction, for example, on both the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44. That is, the square tubes 52, 54 are preferably welded continuously from the front end to the rear end in the front-rear direction. The square pipes 52 and 54 may be fastened by bolts as necessary. Therefore, the adjacent square tubes 52, 54 are closely attached to each other.

Similarly, the square pipes 54 and 56 and the square pipes 56 and 58 are also connected by welding, for example, and are further fastened by bolts as necessary. The plurality of square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 are connected and integrated to form, for example, a planar floor surface 42 and a bottom surface 44.

When a reinforced plastic material such as CFRP is used as the material of the plurality of square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58, the adjacent square pipes are fixed to each other by fastening with bolts or the like. When the square tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are formed in an integrated state, welding and bolt fastening can be eliminated.

The side sills 62, 64 are also formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP, similarly to the respective pipes 52, 54, 56, 58. Here, a case where each of the side sills 62 and 64 is also formed into a square pipe by extrusion-molding an aluminum alloy, for example, will be described.

The square pipe 52 and the side sill 62 are connected by welding and/or bolting, for example. The square pipe 58 and the side sill 64 are connected by welding and/or bolting, for example. The square tube 52 and the side sill 62 may be integrally formed. The square tube 58 and the side sill 64 may also be integrally formed.

A battery housing portion (duct) 52a extending in the front-rear direction is formed inside the square tube 52. Battery storage sections 54a, 56a, and 58a extending in the front-rear direction are similarly formed inside the square tubes 54, 56, and 58. The battery storage units 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a store batteries B (B1, B2, B3, and B4) that are long in the front-rear direction and have a substantially prismatic appearance. That is, the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a have a substantially rectangular hollow cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a are preferably in a non-communicating state.

In addition, the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 have appropriate weights. Therefore, when the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 are stored in the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a, the center of gravity of the electric vehicle 10 can be lowered. Therefore, the electric vehicle 10 is easily kept in a stable state even when traveling at high speed or steering is performed.

As described above, each of the pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 is formed of a material having an appropriate strength, such as a metal material or a plastic material. In the electric vehicle 10, for example, in the event of a front collision or a rear collision, the tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are less likely to deform, and the influence of buckling or bending is prevented as much as possible from reaching the prismatic batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4. Therefore, the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a are formed of a shape and material having appropriate strength that prevents the electric vehicle 10 from being deformed at the time of a frontal collision or a rear collision, for example, and prevents influence on the battery B as much as possible.

As described above, in the present embodiment, an example in which the plurality of square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are connected to form the plurality of battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a will be described. The plurality of battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a may be formed of other structures. For example, a hollow box (not shown) having a size of the floor surface 42, the bottom surface 44, and the side surfaces 46 and 48 of the base 22 is prepared. The appearance of the box is a size in which four square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 and side sills 62, 64 are arranged in the left-right direction. The plurality of battery housing portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a are formed when the space of the case is partitioned by, for example, partition walls (not shown) having surfaces parallel to the vertical direction. The box forms positions corresponding to the side sills 62 and 64. As described above, the base 22 for housing the battery B does not necessarily need to use the plurality of square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sills 62, 64, and can be formed by various configurations.

Front side frame 24 has a left front frame 72 and a right front frame 74. Front bumpers (not shown) are attached to the front of the left and right front frames 72, 74. The left front frame 72 is fixed to the base 22 forward of the left side sill 62. The left front frame 72 is also preferably integrally formed with the left side sill 62. The right front frame 74 is fixed to the base 22 forward of the right side sill 64. The right front frame 74 is also preferably integrally formed with the right side sill 64. A space is formed between the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74. That is, the left and right front frames 72, 74, and the front end 22a of the base 22 cooperate with the bumper to form an appropriate space. This space is used as a buffer area. This space can be used as a place for arranging, for example, the inverter INV, and also as a cargo bed. In this case, it is preferable that a space between the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box shape.

The left front frame 72 is separated from the square tube 52, and the right front frame 74 is separated from the square tube 58. That is, the front side frame 24 is separated from the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58.

Further, the rear base 22 of the front side frame 24 is formed with high rigidity with respect to the front side frame 24 so as to maintain a shape that is a position of the occupant space at the time of a frontal collision. The shape in the base 22, particularly within the wheel base, is maintained.

The left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center in the left-right direction of the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. The left front frame 72 IS formed in the front-rear direction at a position deviated in the left direction from a position (virtual plane IS) along the up-down direction at the center in the left-right direction. The right front frame 74 IS formed in the front-rear direction at a position shifted in the right direction from a position (virtual plane IS) in the vertical direction at the center in the left-right direction.

The left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 are tubular in the front-rear direction intersecting a plane defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The left and right front frames 72, 74 have a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction and defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, front side frame 24 exhibits appropriate strength while achieving weight reduction as compared with the case of being solid. The vertical edge Hf of the cross section of each of the left and right front frames 72, 74 is longer than the horizontal edge Wf.

The upper ends of the right front frame 74 and the left front frame 72 are located at a position lower than the height corresponding to the height of the bumper regulated by statute. The upper ends of right front frame 74 and left front frame 72 of front side frame 24 are, for example, 600mm or less from the road surface.

In the present embodiment, the upper ends (upper surfaces) of the left and right front frames 72, 74 of the front side frames 24 are continuous with the floor surface 42 of the base 22. The upper ends of the front ends of front side frames 24 are located flush with the upper surface (floor surface 42) of the front end of base 22 or below the upper surface (floor surface 42) of the front end of base 22. The lower ends (lower surfaces) of left front frame 72 and right front frame 74 of front side frame 24 are continuous with bottom surface 44 of base 22. The lower end of the front end of front side frame 24 is located flush with the lower surface (bottom surface 44) of the front end of base 22 or above the lower surface (bottom surface 44) of the front end of base 22.

As described above, the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 and the base 22 form the common left side surface 46. Right front frame 74 of front side frame 24 and base 22 form a common right side 48.

As shown in fig. 2D, when the rear side is viewed from the front side of the chassis 12, the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 are located inside the outer edge of the base 22. Similarly, as shown in fig. 2E, when the front side is viewed from the rear side of the chassis 12, a left rear frame 76 and a right rear frame 78, which will be described later, of the rear side frame 26 enter the range inside the outer edge of the base 22.

The floor surface 42 of the base 22 and/or the upper end of the front side frame 24 are disposed below a steering gear SG for steering wheels FW1 and FW2 via knuckles of suspensions FS1 and FS 2. Steering gear SG is located above floor surface 42 of base 22 and/or above front side frame 24, and extends in the left-right direction. The steering gear SG is coupled to a steering wheel SW disposed on the front side of the seat S1. The steering gear SG steers the wheels FW1 and FW2 in conjunction with rotation of the steering wheel SW.

The rear side frame 26 has a left rear frame 76 and a right rear frame 78. Rear bumpers are mounted to the rear of the left and right rear frames 76, 78. The left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center in the left-right direction of the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. The left rear frame 76 is fixed to the base 22 rearward of the left side sill 62. The left rear frame 76 is also preferably integrally formed with the left side sill 62. The right rear frame 78 is fixed to the base 22 rearward of the right side sill 64. The right rear frame 78 is also preferably integrally formed with the right side sill 64. A space is formed between the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78. That is, the left rear frame 76, the right rear frame 78, and the rear end 22b of the base 22 cooperate with the bumper to form an appropriate space. This space is used as a buffer area. The space may be a place where, for example, the inverter INV is disposed, or may be a cargo bed. In this case, it is preferable that a space between the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box shape.

The base 22 at the front of the rear side frame 26 is formed with high rigidity with respect to the rear side frame 26 so as to maintain a shape that is a position of an occupant space at the time of a rear-end collision. The shape in the base 22, particularly within the wheel base, is maintained.

The left rear frame 76 IS formed in the front-rear direction at a position deviated in the left direction from a position (virtual plane IS) along the up-down direction at the center in the left-right direction. The right rear frame 78 IS formed in the front-rear direction at a position displaced in the right direction from a position (imaginary plane IS) along the up-down direction at the center in the left-right direction.

The left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 are tubular in the front-rear direction intersecting a plane defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The left and right rear frames 76, 78 have a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction and defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, the rear side frame 26 can be made lighter and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the case of being solid. The vertical edge Hr of the cross section of each of the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 is longer than the horizontal edge Wr.

The upper ends of the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 are located at a position lower than the height corresponding to the height of the bumper regulated by statute. The upper ends of the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 are, for example, 600mm or less from the road surface.

In the present embodiment, the upper ends (upper surfaces) of the left and right rear frames 76, 78 of the rear side frame 26 are continuous with the floor surface 42 of the base 22. The lower ends (lower surfaces) of the left and right rear frames 76, 78 of the rear side frame 26 are continuous with the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. As described above, the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 and the base 22 form the common left side surface 46. The left side surface 46 is formed continuously with the left outer side surface of the left side sill 62 and the left rear frame 76. The right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 and the base 22 form a common right side 48. The right side surface 48 is formed continuously with the right outer side surface of the right side sill 64 and the right rear frame 78.

As shown in fig. 2B to 2D, 3A, and 3B, a front connecting portion (first connecting portion) 82 is fixed between base 22 and front side frame 24. Here, the coupling portion 82 includes a pair of coupling bodies 84 and 86. The connecting bodies 84, 86 may be of the same shape or different shapes. The coupling members 84, 86 of the coupling portion 82 are formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy material that forms the base 22, or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP, which can appropriately transmit the impact input to the front side frame 24 to the tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 of the battery box. It is preferable that the coupling members 84 and 86 of the coupling portion 82 not be simply made of a material (vibration isolator) such as a rubber material that is difficult to transmit an impact. It is preferable that the connecting members 84 and 86 of the connecting portion 82 be made of a combination of a material that easily transmits impact and a material that is difficult to transmit. One of the connecting bodies 84 is fixed to the floor surface 42 of the base 22. The other connecting body 86 is fixed to the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. At least one of the floor surface (upper side) 42 and the bottom surface (lower side) 44 of the plurality of square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 may be connected to the connection portion 82. That is, the connecting portion 82 may have at least one of the one connecting member 84 and the other connecting member 86.

One of the connecting bodies 84 extends in the left-right direction, and respectively fixes the square tube 52 of the base 22 and the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 and the square tube 58 of the base 22 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24. The connecting member 84 is fixed to the square tubes 52, 58 of the base 22, and is also fixed to the square tubes 54, 56 between the square tubes 52, 58. Therefore, the pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 are connected to the connecting body 84. The connecting body 84 may be further fixed to the side sills 62, 64. The connecting member 84 is mainly depicted as a rod shape in fig. 3A and 3B, but various shapes such as a plate shape (a flat plate shape) are allowable. The connecting member 84 is not limited to be straight, and may be appropriately curved.

The other connecting bodies 86 extend in the left-right direction, and respectively fix the square tube 52 of the base 22 and the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24, and the square tube 58 of the base 22 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24. The connecting body 86 is fixed to the square tubes 52, 58 of the base 22, and is also fixed to the square tubes 54, 56 between the square tubes 52, 58. Therefore, each of the pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 is connected to the connecting body 86. The connecting body 86 may be further fixed to the side sills 62, 64. The connecting body 86 is mainly depicted in fig. 2C and 2D as a plate shape (flat plate shape), but various shapes such as a rod shape are allowable.

An impact due to a collision of an object is input, for example, through the vehicle body 14 including the front bumper or directly to the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24. That is, the impact due to the collision is input to the front end (one end) 22a from the direction (front direction) opposite to the rear end (the other end) 22 b. Then, the impact is transmitted from the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 to the left side sill 62, and the impact is transmitted to the pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 via the connecting portions 82 (connecting bodies 84 and 86). Further, the impact is transmitted to the right side sill 64 via the coupling portion 82. That is, when an impact due to a collision is input to the front side frame 24 from the side away from the battery box, the front side frame 24 transmits the impact to the left side sill 62 and the right side sill 64, and transmits the impact to the battery box through the coupling portion 82 to be dispersed. Therefore, for example, an impact input to left front frame 72 of front side frame 24 is dispersed not only by left side sill 62 but also by each of tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 and right side sill 64 at a position (near front end 22 a) in front of base 22. Therefore, when an impact is input to left front frame 72 of front side frame 24, the impact can be suppressed from concentrating on a certain member of base 22.

Therefore, the strength of each member constituting the base 22 can be designed to be smaller than that in the case where the impact is concentrated on a certain member. Even if the base 22 is formed to have an extremely small load resistance, deformation of the base 22 can be suppressed by transmitting and dispersing impact to and from the members constituting the base 22. In this way, by forming the base 22 in a state having extremely small load resistance, it is possible to achieve weight reduction and cost reduction of the base 22.

At this time, the coupling portion 82 (the coupling member 84 and the coupling member 86) extends in the left-right direction at the distal end 22a or its vicinity. Therefore, the torsion generated in the chassis 12 is suppressed, as in the case of the torsion box TB described later.

In this way, by using coupling portion 82 extending in the left-right direction, the impact input to front side frame 24 can be dispersed to each member of base 22 at a position on the front side of base 22 (in the vicinity of front end 22 a). Therefore, as compared with the case where the impact is concentrated on a certain member, the strength of each member constituting the base 22 can be designed to be small, and the weight and cost of the base 22 can be reduced.

The left front frame 72 and the side sill 62, and the right front frame 74 and the side sill 64 are cylindrical without through-holes, and the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are also cylindrical. Even when the side sill 62 and the square pipe 52 are fastened by bolts, the holes are smaller than the through holes through which the drive shafts are inserted. Therefore, the thickness can be made thinner than in the case where the through holes through which the drive shafts are inserted are formed in the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sills 62, 64, and the strength of the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sills 62, 64 can be maintained in an appropriate state.

As described above, the left side sill 62 and the square pipe 52, the adjacent square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58, and the square pipe 58 and the right side sill 64 are respectively welded and/or bolted, for example. Therefore, for example, when an impact is input to the left side sill 62, the impact is transmitted from the left side sill 62 to the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58, i.e., the battery box and the right side sill 64, even at a position where the impact is separated from the connection portion 82.

Thus, when an impact is input to front side frame 24, the impact can be transmitted to and dispersed among the members constituting base 22.

Between the bumper and the front end 22a of the base 22, that is, the left and right front frames 72, 74 of the front side frame 24, a buffer area is formed to buffer an impact when the impact from the front of the electric vehicle 10 is input.

A torsion box TB extending in the left-right direction is disposed on the floor surface 42 of the base 22. The torque box TB is provided with gauges, an instrument panel, and the like. The torque box TB couples the side sill 62 continuous with the left front frame 72 and the side sill 64 continuous with the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24, and couples the floor surface 42, i.e., each of the tubes 52, 54, 56, 58. The torque box TB is formed of a metal material or reinforced plastic, like the joint 82. Therefore, the torque box TB prevents the chassis 12 from twisting, similarly to the above-described coupling portion 82.

The torque box TB is disposed between the steering wheel SW and the steering gear SG in the front-rear direction.

Here, a case where the coupling portion 82 is not provided in the base 22 is considered. The impact input to the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 is more likely to be transmitted from the torque box TB rearward of the front end 22a of the base 22 to each of the pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sill 64 in sequence than in the case where the coupling portion 82 is not provided. The torque box TB is located closer to the seats S1, S2 as an occupant space than the joint 82 is. Therefore, when the connecting portion 82 is present, the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sill 64 corresponding to the distance between the front end 22a and the torque box TB are easily made to function as shock absorbers.

A front cover 88 for sealing the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 is disposed at the front end 22a of the base 22. The front cover 88 may be one that closes the front ends 22a of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a of all the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 together, or may be the number of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. Here, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that one cover 88 is connected to the front end 22a of the base 22 by a hinge pin 102. The opening direction of the cover 88 can be set to various directions. When the cover 88 is supported at the floor surface 42 or at a position close to the floor surface 42 at the front end 22a of the base 22, the cover 88 can be opened and closed with respect to the battery storage units 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a as shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

The front cover 88 may be supported on the other coupling body 86 of the coupling portion 82, that is, the bottom surface 44 or a position close to the bottom surface 44. That is, the cover 88 may be configured to rotate about the connecting body 86 disposed on the bottom surface 44. The front cover 88 may be supported between the front end 22a of the square tube 52 and the side sill 62, or between the front end 22a of the square tube 58 and the side sill 64. The front cover 88 may also be supported on the left or right front frame 72, 74.

The cover 88 includes, for example, a hinge pin 102 supported by one of the coupling bodies 84, a plate-shaped turning body 104 turned by the hinge pin 102, and a block 106 attached to the turning body 104. The block 106 is made of, for example, a rubber material having electrical insulation. The block 106 serves as an annular seal member that surrounds the front-side end edges of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58, and also serves as a vibration isolator that suppresses the movement of the battery B in the front-rear direction within the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. Therefore, a part of the block 106 preferably enters rearward from the front end edges of the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. At the front end 22a of the base 22, the batteries B shown in fig. 3A are sealed by the cover 88 inside the base 22.

The locking mechanism that fixes the cover 88 in the locked position will be described later.

A rear-side coupling portion (second coupling portion) 92 is fixed between the base 22 and the rear-side frame 26. Here, the coupling portion 92 has a pair of coupling bodies 94, 96. The connecting bodies 94 and 96 may be of the same shape or different shapes. One of the connecting bodies 94 is fixed to the floor surface 42 of the base 22. The other connecting member 96 is fixed to the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. At least one of the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 of the plurality of square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 may be connected to the connection portion 92. That is, the rear connecting portion 92 may have at least one of the one connecting member 94 and the other connecting member 96. The connecting member 94 and the connecting member 96 of the rear connecting portion 92 are also preferably formed of the same material as the rear connecting portion 92.

The one connecting member 94 is formed in the same manner as the one connecting member 84 of the front connecting portion 82, for example. The other connecting member 96 is formed in the same manner as the other connecting member 86 of the front connecting portion 82, for example.

One of the connecting bodies 94 extends in the left-right direction and is fixed between the square tube 52 of the base 22 and the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 and between the square tube 58 of the base 22 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26. The connecting body 94 may be fixed to the square tubes 54 and 56 between the square tubes 52 and 58, in addition to the square tubes 52 and 58 of the base 22. The connecting body 94 may be further fixed to the side sills 62, 64. The connecting member 94 is mainly depicted as a rod shape in fig. 3A and 3B, but various shapes such as a plate shape (a flat plate shape) are allowable. The connecting member 94 is not limited to be straight, and may be appropriately curved.

The other connecting bodies 96 extend in the left-right direction, and are fixed between the square tube 52 of the base 22 and the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26, and between the square tube 58 of the base 22 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26, respectively. The connecting body 96 may be fixed to the square tubes 54 and 56 between the square tubes 52 and 58, in addition to the square tubes 52 and 58 of the base 22. The connecting body 96 may be further fixed to the side sills 62, 64. The coupling body 96 is mainly depicted in fig. 2C and 2D as a plate shape (flat plate shape), but various shapes such as a rod shape are allowable.

An impact due to a collision of an object is input, for example, through the vehicle body 14 including a rear bumper or directly to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26. That is, the impact due to the collision is input to the rear end (one end) 22b from the direction (rear direction) opposite to the front end (the other end) 22 a. Then, an impact is transmitted from the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 to the left side sill 62, and the impact is transmitted to the pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 via the connecting portions 92 (connecting bodies 94 and 96). Further, the impact is transmitted to the right side sill 64 via the coupling portion 92. Therefore, for example, the impact input to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 is dispersed not only by the left side sill 62 but also by the respective side pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the right side sill 64 at a position rearward of the base 22. That is, when an impact due to a collision is input to the rear side frame 26 from a side away from the battery box, the rear side frame 26 transmits the impact to the left side sill 62 and the right side sill 64, and transmits the impact to the battery box through the connection portion 92 to be dispersed. Therefore, when an impact is input to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26, it is possible to suppress the impact from concentrating on any member of the base 22.

At this time, the connecting portion 92 (the connecting member 94 and the connecting member 96) extends in the left-right direction at or near the rear end 22 b. Therefore, similarly to the torque box TB, the torsion generated in the chassis 12 is suppressed.

In this way, by using the coupling portion 92 extending in the left-right direction, the impact input to the rear side frame 26 can be dispersed to each member of the base 22 at a position rearward of the base 22. Therefore, as compared with the case where the impact is concentrated on a certain member, the strength of each member constituting the base 22 can be designed to be small, and the weight and cost of the base 22 can be reduced.

The left rear frame 76 and the side sill 62, the right rear frame 78 and the side sill 64 are cylindrical without through-holes, and the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are also cylindrical. Even when the side sill 62 and the square pipe 52 are fastened by bolts, the holes are smaller than the through holes through which the drive shafts are inserted. Therefore, the thickness can be made thinner than in the case where the through holes are formed in the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sills 62, 64, and the strength of the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 and the side sills 62, 64 can be maintained in an appropriate state.

For example, when an impact is input to the left side sill 62, the impact is transmitted from the left side sill 62 to the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58, i.e., the battery box and the right side sill 64, even at a position where the impact is separated from the connection portion 92.

Thus, when an impact is input to the rear side frame 26, the impact can be transmitted to and dispersed among the members constituting the base 22.

Between the bumper and the rear end 22b of the base 22, that is, the left and right rear frames 76, 78 of the rear side frame 26 form a buffer area for buffering an impact when the impact from the rear of the electric vehicle 10 is input.

A rear cover 98 for hermetically sealing the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 is disposed at the rear end 22b of the base 22. Preferably, the rear cover 98 is supported on the base 22 in the same manner as the front cover 88. The rear cover 98 may be one that closes the rear ends 22b of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a of all the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 together, or may be the number of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. Here, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that one cover 98 is connected to the rear end 22b of the base 22 by a hinge pin 112. The opening direction of the cover 98 can be set to various directions. When the cover 98 is supported at the rear end 22B of the base 22 at the floor surface 42 or at a position close to the floor surface 42, it can be opened and closed as shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

The rear cover 98 may be provided on the other coupling member 96 of the coupling portion 92. That is, the cover 98 may be configured to rotate about the connecting body 96 disposed on the bottom surface 44 as a fulcrum. The rear cover 98 may be supported between the rear end 22b of the square tube 52 and the side sill 62, or between the rear end 22b of the square tube 58 and the side sill 64. The rear cover 98 may also be supported on the left rear frame 76 or the right rear frame 78.

The cover 98 includes, for example, a hinge pin 112 supported by one of the coupling bodies 94, a plate-shaped turning body 114 turned by the hinge pin 112, and a block 116 attached to the turning body 114. The block 116 is formed of, for example, a rubber material. The block 116 serves as an annular seal member that surrounds the rear-side end edges of the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a of the square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58, and also serves as a vibration isolator that suppresses the movement of the battery B in the front-rear direction within the battery storage sections 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. Therefore, a part of the block 116 preferably enters forward from the rear end edges of the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, 58 a. At the rear end 22B of the base 22, the batteries B shown in fig. 3A are sealed by covers 98 in the base 22.

The batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 are disposed between the wheel center C1 of the front-most wheels FW1 and FW2 and the wheel center C2 of the rear-most wheels RW1 and RW 2. That is, the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 can be disposed between the wheelbases (between C1 and C2) of the base 22. The secondary batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 are formed to be the same length as or shorter than the wheelbase. The batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 have substantially rectangular cross sections perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 are appropriately connected to each other. Further, the storage batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 are connected to the inverter INV through, for example, covers 88, 98 via electric wires. The batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 may be connected in series or in parallel.

As described above, the impact input to the front side frame 24 and the impact input to the rear side frame 26 can be appropriately dispersed and received by the side sills 62, 64 and the square pipes 52, 54, 56, 58 through the connecting portions 82, 92. Further, the side sills 62, 64 and the respective square tubes 52, 54, 56, 58 are prevented from being deformed. Therefore, the loads are prevented from being applied to the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 disposed in the battery storage units 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a as much as possible.

The covers 88, 98 are fixed in a locking position (closed position) and an unlocking position (open position) with respect to the base 22 by a well-known locking mechanism. The covers 88 and 98 are supported by the coupling portions 82 and 92, and switch the opening between an open position and a closed position. The locking mechanism can be the same as a known fuel filler inlet, for example. For example, a rod (not shown) fixed to the chassis 12 or the vehicle body 14 and the covers 88 and 98 are connected by a wire (not shown). The covers 88 and 98 bias the coupling body 84 and the hinge pin 102 and the coupling body 94 and the hinge pin 112, respectively, in a state in which the lock release position is established. When the lever is operated, the covers 88 and 98 move from the locked position to the unlocked position. The covers 88, 98 may be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position simultaneously, or the covers 88, 98 may be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position independently. Further, when the vehicle travels from the unlock position to the lock position, the vehicle may be manually moved, for example. Further, when a switch or the like fixed to the chassis 12 or the vehicle body 14 is operated, the switch or the like may be moved from the unlock position to the lock position.

With the covers 88, 98 in the locked position, the battery B extending in the front-rear direction is inserted in a sealed state with respect to the base 22 in a state of being aligned in the left-right direction. When the covers 88 and 98 are located at the unlocked positions, the battery B extending in the front-rear direction can be inserted into and removed from the base 22 in the front-rear direction.

When the covers 88 and 98 are in the unlocked position, the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 can be attached to and detached from the base 22 from the front and/or rear direction. The batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 can be attached to and detached from the base 22 by the front side frame 24 and/or the rear side frame 26. In addition, when the covers 88 and 98 are covered with the vehicle body 14, the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 can be attached to and detached from the base 22 through the front portion and/or the rear portion of the vehicle body 14.

When the covers 88 and 98 are in the locked positions, the communication between the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a and the outside of the base 22 is blocked. In this case, the fluid is prevented from flowing between the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a and the outside of the base 22.

When the covers 88 and 98 are in the locked positions, the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 are supported between the blocks 106 and 116 in a state in which the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 are restrained from moving in the front-rear direction.

The body 14 is mounted to the chassis 12. The covers 88, 98 described above may also be provided on the vehicle body 14. By opening the cover 88, the batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 pass between the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 to enter and exit from the front side. By opening the cover 98, the batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 enter and exit from the rear side through between the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26.

When the electric vehicle 10 is stopped and/or running, a fluid such as gas may be generated from the battery B due to abnormality, aging, or the like of the battery B. When a fluid such as gas is generated from the battery B, the internal pressure of each of the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a may be higher than the external pressure of the base 22.

The square pipe 52 is preferably provided with pressure reducing valves Vf1 and Vr 1. The pressure reducing valves Vf1 and Vr1 may be integrally formed with the square pipe 52. The pressure reducing valves Vf1 and Vr1 are preferably located at the bottom surface 44 of the square pipe 52 of the susceptor 22. The pressure reducing valve Vf1 is preferably located near the front end 22a of the base 22. The other pressure reducing valve Vr1 is preferably located near the rear end 22b of the base 22.

Similarly, it is preferable that the square pipe 54 is provided with pressure reducing valves Vf2 and Vr2, the square pipe 56 is provided with pressure reducing valves Vf3 and Vr3, and the square pipe 58 is provided with pressure reducing valves Vf4 and Vr 4.

Here, each of the pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 is provided with 2 pressure reducing valves, but each of the pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 may be provided with 1 pressure reducing valve.

When a predetermined pressure is reached in the battery housing portion 52a, the pressure reducing valves Vf1 and Vr1 operate in a low pressure state as compared with the movement of the covers 88 and 98 to the unlocked position, and the internal pressure in the battery housing portion 52a decreases. The battery storage portion 52a is continuous. Therefore, when the pressure of the battery storage unit 52a is increased to a predetermined pressure or more, any one of the pressure reducing valves Vf1 and Vr1 may be operated.

Similarly, when a predetermined pressure is reached in the battery housing portions 54a, 56a, and 58a, the pressure reducing valves Vf2 and Vr2 of the battery housing portion 54a, Vf3 and Vr3 of the battery housing portion 56a, and Vf3 and Vr4 of the battery housing portion 56a operate at a low pressure as compared with the movement of the covers 88 and 98 to the unlocking position, and the internal pressure in the battery housing portions 54a, 56a, and 58a is reduced.

Therefore, the covers 88 and 98 can be prevented from moving to the unlocked positions by the internal pressures in the battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58 a. Therefore, the covers 88 and 98 can be prevented from being accidentally moved to the unlocked positions, and the batteries B1, B2, B3, and B4 can be accidentally moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the base 22.

Fluid generated by the secondary batteries B1, B2, B3, B4 of the present embodiment is released to the lower side of the chassis 12 through the relief valves Vf1, Vr1, Vf2, Vf2, Vf2, Vf2, Vf3, Vf3, Vf4, Vr 4. Therefore, the electric vehicle 10 can suppress the fluid flowing out of the pressure reducing valves Vf1, Vr1, Vf2, Vf2, Vf3, Vr3, Vf3, Vf4, and Vr4 from flowing toward the driver and the like not only when the vehicle is stopped but also when the vehicle is traveling, for example.

For example, when a plate-like member is disposed below the rectangular tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58, the bottom surfaces of the rectangular tubes 52, 54, 56, and 58 may not be the bottom surface 44 of the base 22. In this case, the pressure reducing valves Vf1, Vr1, Vf2, Vr2, Vf3, Vr3, Vf3, Vf4, and Vr4 of the square pipes 52, 54, 56, and 58 can also discharge fluid from the bottom surface 44 of the base 22 toward the ground surface via pipes not shown.

(second embodiment)

A second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4A to 4G. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The same members or members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The contents described in the first embodiment can be combined and used as appropriate.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the base 22 has the plurality of battery storage portions 52a, 54a, 56a, and 58a is described. Here, an example will be described in which the base 222 has one battery housing portion 250a extending in the front-rear direction at the center in the width direction.

The chassis 212 of the electric vehicle 210 to be described in the present embodiment is described as a case of 6 wheels in total, that is, 2 wheels on the front side and 4 wheels on the rear side. The chassis 212 may also be 2 wheels on the front side and 2 wheels on the rear side. Thus, the number of wheels and tires mounted on the chassis 212 is appropriately set.

As shown in fig. 4A, the electric vehicle 210 has a chassis (platform) 212 and a vehicle body 14 mounted on the chassis (base frame) 212. The vehicle body 14 is mounted on the upper side of the chassis 212, and forms a passenger space together with a later-described base 222 of the chassis 212.

The chassis 212 has, for example, a base (main frame) 222, a front side frame 24, and a rear side frame 26. An occupant space (occupant compartment) is formed above the base 222 together with the vehicle body 14. Front side frame 24 is positioned in the front direction with respect to base 222. The rear base 222 of the front side frame 24 is formed with high rigidity with respect to the front side frame 24 so as to maintain a shape that is a position of an occupant space at the time of a frontal collision. The shape in the base 222, particularly within the wheel base, is maintained. The rear side frame 26 is located in the rear direction with respect to the base 222. The seat 222 at the front of the rear side frame 26 is formed with high rigidity with respect to the rear side frame 26 so as to maintain a shape that is a position of an occupant space at the time of a rear-end collision. The shape in the base 222, particularly within the wheel base, is maintained. The base 222, the front frame 24, and the rear frame 26 are made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP.

Front suspensions FS1, FS2, rear suspensions RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4 are attached to the base 222. Suspensions FS1, FS2 are provided between the base 222 and/or the front side frame 24 and the wheels FW1, FW 2. Suspensions RS1, RS2 are provided between the base 222 and/or rear side frame 26 and the wheels RW1, RW 2. The suspensions RS3, RS4 are disposed between the base 222 and the wheels RW3 and RW 4.

As the suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4, it is preferable to use a free-standing structure in which the wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, RW2, RW2, RW3, and RW4 operate independently. Suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4 are appropriately selected from various types of devices. Here, a double fork arm type is used as an example. In the suspension FS1, a brake, an upper arm (suspension arm), a lower arm (suspension arm), and the like are supported by a motor FM1 serving as a hub. The other suspensions FS2, RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4 are also formed in the same manner. The front suspensions FS1 and FS2 and the rear suspensions RS1 and RS2 may be of different types. The rear suspensions RS1 and RS2 may be of different types from the suspensions RS3 and RS 4.

Here, the chassis 212 has a left front side surface 246a formed by a front side sill 262a of the base 222, which will be described later, and the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 and extending in the front-rear direction. The left front side surface 246a is formed continuously with the left front side sill 262a and the left outer side surface of the left front frame 72. The chassis 212 has a right front side surface 248a formed by a rear side sill 264a of the base 222 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24, and extending in the front-rear direction. The right front side surface 248a is formed continuously to the right outer side of the right front side sill 264a and the right front frame 74.

The lower arm of suspension FS1 is supported on the left front side 246a or lower surface of chassis 212. The upper arm of the suspension FS1 is supported by the left front side 246a of the chassis 212, the upper surface of the front side sill 262a, or the vehicle body 14. The suspension FS2 is supported at a position on the opposite side of the battery box 250 to be described later, in the same manner as the suspension FS 1.

Here, the chassis 212 has a left rear side surface 246b formed by a rear side sill 262b of the base 222, which will be described later, and the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 and extending in the front-rear direction. The left rear side surface 246b is formed continuously with the left rear side sill 262b and the left outer side surface of the left rear frame 76. The chassis 212 has a right rear side surface 248b formed by a rear side sill 264b of the base 222 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26, which will be described later, and extending in the front-rear direction. The right rear side surface 248b is formed continuously to the right outer side surfaces of the right rear side sill 264b and the right rear frame 78.

The lower arm of the suspension RS1 is supported on the left side 246b of the chassis 212 or spacer 266. The upper arm of the suspension RS1 is supported by the left side surface 246b of the chassis 212, the upper surface of the side sill 262b, or the vehicle body 14. The suspension RS2 is supported at a position on the opposite side of the battery case 250 with respect to the suspension RS 1.

The lower arm of the suspension RS3 is supported on the left side 246b of the chassis 212 or spacer 266. The upper arm of the suspension RS2 is supported by the cross member CM of the chassis 212, the left side surface 246b, the upper surface of the side sill 262b, or the vehicle body 14. The suspension RS4 is supported at a position on the opposite side of the battery case 250 with respect to the suspension RS 3.

In the present embodiment, an example of 6-wheel drive in which motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, and RM4 are attached to suspensions FS1, FS2, RS1, RS2, RM3, and RM4 will be described.

The motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, and RM4 are disposed in wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, RW2, RW2, RW3, and RW4, respectively. Motors FM1, FM2 are located on the left and right outer sides of base 222 and front side frame 24. The motors RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4 are located on the left and right outer sides of the base 222 and the rear side frame 26.

An inverter INV is electrically connected between the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4 and the battery B. As an example, the inverter INV is disposed on the front side frame 24 and/or the rear side frame 26. As an example, the control unit ECU is also provided on the front side frame 24 and/or the rear side frame 26.

Each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, and RM4 is driven by electric power supplied from a battery B disposed in the base 222, and rotates wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, RW2, RW1, RW2, RW3, and RW 4. Each of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, and RM4 is driven by controlling the rotation speed independently of the inverter INV disposed at an appropriate position.

Tires FT1, FT2, RT1, RT2, RT3, and RT4 are mounted on the wheels FW1, FW2, RW1, RW2, RW3, and RW4, respectively.

The rotation centers of the wheels FW1 and FW2 are coaxial, and are defined as a rotation center C1. The rotation centers of the wheels RW1 and RW2 are coaxial, and are defined as the rotation center C2. The rotation centers of the wheels RW3 and RW4 are coaxial, and are defined as the rotation center C3. The center of rotation C3 is located forward of the center of rotation C2. The wheel base is defined as the distance between the centers of rotation C1, C2. The chassis 212 has a wheel base defined between the wheel center C1 of the front-most wheel and the wheel center C2 of the rear-most wheel, even if there are many more wheels from 6 wheels.

Here, the front side of the rotation center C1 of the wheels FW1 and FW2 is referred to as the front side frame 24, and the rear side is referred to as the pedestal 222. The front side of the rotation center C2 of the wheels RW1 and RW2 is referred to as a base 222, and the rear side is referred to as a rear side frame 26. That is, the wheelbase is defined as the base 222. The front side of the position deviated from the axle pitch is the front side frame 24, and the rear side is the rear side frame 26. That is, the rear ends of front side frames 24 are located on the outer sides of the wheelbase. The front end of the rear side frame 26 is located on the outer side of the wheel base.

Depending on the performance of the motors FM1, FM2, RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, horsepower required by the electric vehicle 210, etc., the motors may be present not all but only on a part of the wheels. That is, the number of wheels may be the same as the number of motors, or may be greater than the number of motors. In the absence of a motor inside the wheel, the wheel is rotatably supported, for example, with respect to a hub of the suspension.

The base 222 has a plate-like body 240 and a battery case 250. The left front frame 72 and the battery case 250 are separated from each other, and the right front frame 74 and the battery case 250 are separated from each other. That is, front side frame 24 is separated from battery case 250.

In the present embodiment, the plate-like body 240 has floor surfaces (a left floor surface 242a and a right floor surface 242b) and a bottom surface 244 facing the road surface on the side opposite to the floor surfaces 242a, 242 b. The distance between the floor surfaces 242a, 242b and the bottom surface 244 is smaller than the distance between the floor surface 42 and the bottom surface 44 described in the first embodiment. The floor surfaces 242a and 242b and the bottom surface 244 may be flat surfaces or may be formed to have appropriate irregularities. The base 222 has front side sills (door sills) 262a, 264a and rear side sills (door sills) 262b, 264 b. The left side sills 262a, 262b are provided on the left side of the battery case 250. The right side sills 264a, 264b are provided on the right side of the battery case 250. In the present embodiment, the base 222 has a torque box TB and a cross member CM. A torsion box TB extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the upper side of the plate-shaped body 240. The torque box TB is disposed between the steering wheel SW and the steering gear SG in the front-rear direction. A cross member CM extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the upper side of the plate-like body 240.

The base 222 has a front side plate (front side connecting surface) 243a on the upper side of the plate-like body 240 between the torque box TB and the front side frame 24. For example, the upper surface of the front side plate 243a is continuous with the upper surface of the left front side sill 262a in the same plane, and the front side plate 243a is continuous with the upper surface of the right front side sill 264a in the same plane. The upper surface of front plate 243a is continuous with the upper surface of battery case 250 in the same plane. Therefore, the front plate 243a is used as a part of the coupling portion 282 described later. In addition, for example, the bottom surface 244 of the plate-like body 240 is continuous in the same plane as the lower surface of the left front side sill 262a, and the bottom surface 244 of the plate-like body 240 is continuous in the same plane as the lower surface of the right front side sill 264 a. Bottom surface 244 of plate-like body 240 is continuous in the same plane as the lower surface of battery case 250. Therefore, the plate-like body 240 and the front side plate 243a couple the left front side sill 262a to the battery case 250 and the battery case 250 to the right front side sill 264 a. Therefore, the plate-like body 240 is used as a part of the coupling portion 282. As shown in fig. 4D, when the rear side is viewed from the front side of chassis 212, front side frame 24 (left front frame 72 and right front frame 74) enters the range inside the outer edge of base 222.

The base 222 has a rear plate (rear connecting surface) 243b on the upper side of the plate-like body 240 between the cross member CM and the rear side frame 26. For example, the upper surface of the rear side plate 243b is flush with the upper surface of the left rear side sill 262b, and the upper surface of the rear side plate 243b is flush with the upper surface of the right rear side sill 264 b. Therefore, the rear side plate 243b is used as a part of the coupling portion 292, which will be described later. The plate-like body 240 is used as a part of the joint 292. As shown in fig. 4E, when the front side is viewed from the rear side of the chassis 212, the rear side frames 26 (the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78) are within the range inside the outer edge of the base 222.

The length of the base 222 in the front-rear direction is formed longer than the length in the left-right direction. The distance between the floor surfaces 242a, 242b and the bottom surface 244 (the thickness of the plate-like body 240 of the base 222) is formed smaller than the length of the base 222 in the left-right direction.

The length of the base 222 in the front-rear direction is, for example, 2000mm to 3000mm, the length (width) in the left-right direction is, for example, 900mm to 1500mm, and the length (height) in the up-down direction is, for example, 300mm to 400 mm.

Battery case 250 is located at the center in the left-right direction. The battery case 250 is formed in the same manner as the square tube 52 described in the first embodiment. Battery case 250 is preferably formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy. Here, a case where battery case 250 is formed by extrusion molding of, for example, an aluminum alloy will be described.

Instead of aluminum alloy, other metal materials such as square steel pipes may be used for battery case 250. Battery case 250 is not limited to a metal material, and may be formed of a reinforced plastic such as CFRP.

The battery case 250 extends in the front-rear direction. Battery case 250 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The battery case 250 has a battery housing portion (passage) 250 a. Since battery case 250 is hollow, it can be made lighter than a solid case, and exhibits appropriate strength. The cross section of battery case 250 orthogonal to the front-rear direction may be square or rectangular. In the present embodiment, the cross section of battery case 250 orthogonal to the front-rear direction is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Battery case 250 needs to have load resistance against collisions from the front and rear while achieving appropriate weight reduction. Therefore, it is preferable to use the battery case 250 without a seam.

The battery case 250 of the present embodiment is preferably formed vertically long with a height greater than a width in the lateral direction.

The battery case 250 is disposed between the right edge of the floor surface 242a and the left edge of the floor surface 242 b. The bottom surface of the battery case 250 coincides with the bottom surface 244 of the base 222. Therefore, the upper surface of battery case 250 is positioned above the right edge of floor surface 242a and the left edge of floor surface 242 b. Therefore, floor surfaces 242a and 242b are formed at a position lower than the upper surface of battery case 250.

Battery B has an appropriate weight. Therefore, when battery B is housed in battery housing section 250a, electric vehicle 210 can be made low in center of gravity. Therefore, the electric vehicle 210 is easily kept in a stable state even when traveling at high speed or steering is performed.

A pair of seat arrangement portions (rails) 332a and 332b are arranged on the floor surface 242a, and the seat S1 is arranged to be movable in the front-rear direction by the pair of seat arrangement portions (rails) 332a and 332 b. The pair of seat arrangement portions 332a, 332b extend straight in the front-rear direction, for example. The seat arrangement portion 332a is disposed near the right edge portion of the floor surface 242a, and the seat arrangement portion 332b is disposed near the left edge portion of the floor surface 242 a. A front side sill 262a is formed at a left edge portion of the floor surface 242 a.

A pair of seat arrangement portions (rails) 334a, 334b are arranged on the floor surface 242b, and the pair of seat arrangement portions 334a, 334b are arranged so that the seat S2 can move in the front-rear direction. The pair of seat arrangement portions 334a, 334b extend straight in the front-rear direction, for example. The seat arrangement portion 334a is arranged near the left edge portion of the floor surface 242b, and the seat arrangement portion 334b is arranged near the right edge portion of the floor surface 242 b. A front side sill 264a is formed at a right edge portion of the floor surface 242 b.

The battery box 250 is disposed between the seat arrangement portions 332a and 334 a. At this time, since the battery case 250 is vertically long as described above, the distance between the seat arrangement portions 332a and 334a can be made smaller than in the case where the battery case is horizontally long.

The seat arrangement portions 332a, 332b, 334a, 334b are located below the upper surface of the battery case 250. Therefore, the center of gravity of the occupant seated in the seats S1 and S2 can be lowered, and the electric vehicle 210 can be made low in center of gravity even when the seats S1 and S2 are arranged. Therefore, the electric vehicle 210 is easily kept in a stable state even when traveling at high speed or steering is performed.

The floor surfaces 242a, 242b, the battery case 250, the torque box TB, and the cross member CM are disposed between the front side sills 262a, 264 a. The front side sills 262a, 264a are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center in the left-right direction of the floor surfaces 242a, 242b and the bottom surface 244. The bottom surfaces of the front side sills 262a, 264a coincide with the bottom surface 244 of the base 222. The upper surface of the front side sill 262a is positioned above the left edge of the floor surface 242a, and the upper surface of the front side sill 264a is positioned above the right edge of the floor surface 242 b.

The front side sills 262a and 264a are formed in a tubular shape having a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the front side sills 262a and 264a can be made lighter and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the case of being solid. The cross section of the front side sills 262a and 264a orthogonal to the front-rear direction may be square or rectangular.

In the present embodiment, the rear ends of the front side sills 262a, 264a are fixed to the cross member CM. Rear side sills 262b and 264b are disposed between the cross member CM and the rear end 222b of the base 222.

The left front side surface 246a of the front side sill 262a of the cross member CM is shifted in position in the left-right direction from the left rear side surface 246b of the rear side sill 262 b. Thus, the front side sill 262a is discontinuous with the rear side sill 262 b. Here, the left front side surface 246a of the front side sill 262a is located on the left side in the left-right direction than the left rear side surface 246b of the rear side sill 262 b. Thus, the left front side surface 246a of the front side sill 262a is discontinuous with the left rear side surface 246b of the rear side sill 262 b.

A box-shaped spacer 266 is disposed on the left side of the rear side sill 262b and on the rear side of the cross member CM. The bottom surface of the spacer 266 is, for example, continuous with the bottom surface 244 of the base 222. A left side surface 246b of the rear side sill 262b is formed on the upper side of the left side edge of the spacer 266. The lower arms of the suspensions RS1, RS3 may also be supported on the spacer 266. The lower arms of the suspensions RS1, RS3 may also be supported on the side surface 246b of the rear side sill 262 b.

Similarly, the right front side surface 248a of the front side sill 264a of the cross member CM is shifted in position in the left-right direction from the right rear side surface 248b of the rear side sill 264 b. Therefore, the front side sill 264a is discontinuous with the rear side sill 264 b. Here, the right front side surface 248a of the front side sill 264a is positioned on the right side in the left-right direction with respect to the right rear side surface 248b of the rear side sill 264 b. Therefore, the right side surface 248a of the front side sill 264a is discontinuous with the right side surface 248b of the rear side sill 264 b.

A box-shaped spacer 268 is disposed on the right side of the rear side sill 264b and on the rear side of the cross member CM. The bottom surface of the spacer 268 is, for example, continuous with the bottom surface 244 of the base 222. A right side surface 248b of the rear side sill 264b is formed above the right edge of the spacer 268. The lower arms of the suspensions RS2, RS4 may be supported by the spacer 268. The lower arms of the suspensions RS2, RS4 may be supported by the side surfaces 248b of the rear side sills 264 b.

A rear side coupling portion 292, which will be described later, is disposed between the rear side sills 262b and 264 b.

The center of rotation C1 of the wheels FW1, FW2 is located between the upper surfaces of the front side sills 262a, 264a of the base 222 and the bottom surface 244. The upper end of front side frame 24 is located on the upper side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C1 of wheels FW1 and FW 2. The lower end of front side frame 24 is located on the lower side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C1 of wheels FW1 and FW 2.

In the chassis 212 of the present embodiment, the motors FM1, FM2 are mounted on wheels FW1, FW 2. Therefore, no through-hole for passing the drive shaft is required in the base 222 and/or the front side frame 24. Base 222 of chassis 212 and left and right front side surfaces 246a and 248a of front side frame 24 are formed without holes. In particular, when the rotation center C1 of the wheel FW1 is extended from the wheel FW1 toward the left front side surface 246a, no hole is formed in the intersection region with the left front side surface 246 a. When the rotation center C1 of the wheel FW2 is extended from the wheel FW2 toward the right front side surface 248a, no hole is formed in the intersection area with the right front side surface 248 a. That is, the position where the extensions of the wheel centers C1 of the front-most wheels FW1 and FW2 of the left front side surface 246a and the right front side surface 248a intersect is closed without any hole. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the left front side surface 246a and the right front side surface 248a of the base 222 and the front side frame 24 into complicated shapes. Since holes may not be formed in left and right front side surfaces 246a and 248a, the degree of freedom in designing left and right front side surfaces 246a and 248a can be increased.

The center of rotation C2 of the wheels RW1, RW2 is located between the upper surfaces of the rear side sills 262b, 264b of the base 222 and the bottom surface 244. The upper ends of the rear side frames 26 are located on the upper side with respect to the rotational centers (wheel centers) C2 of the wheels RW1, RW 2. The lower end of the rear side frame 26 is located on the lower side with respect to the rotation center (wheel center) C2 of the wheels RW1, RW 2.

In chassis 212 of the present embodiment, motors RM1, RM2 are attached to wheels RW1, RW 2. Therefore, no through-hole for passing the drive shaft is required in the base 222 and/or the rear side frame 26. The left rear side 246b and the right rear side 248b of the base 222 and the rear side frame 26 are formed without holes. That is, the positions where the extensions of the wheel centers C2 of the wheels RW1 and RW2 in the last row of the left rear side surface 246b and the right rear side surface 248b intersect are closed without any hole. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the left rear side surface 246b and the right rear side surface 248b of the base 222 and the rear side frame 26 into complicated shapes. Since no hole may be formed in the left rear side surface 246b and the right rear side surface 248b, the degree of freedom in designing the left rear side surface 246b and the right rear side surface 248b can be increased.

The front side sills 262a and 264a are formed in a tubular shape having a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the side sills 262a and 264a can be made lighter and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the case of being solid. The cross section of the side sills 262a, 264a orthogonal to the front-rear direction may be square or rectangular.

The width of the side sills 262a, 264a in the left-right direction is preferably smaller than the width of the battery case 250 in the left-right direction. The height of the side sills 262a and 264a in the vertical direction is preferably lower than the height of the battery case 250 in the vertical direction. That is, the upper surface of the battery case 250 protrudes upward with respect to the upper surfaces of the side sills 262a and 264 a.

The side sills 262a and 264a are also made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP, for example, as in the case of the battery case 250. Here, a case where each of the side sills 262a and 264a is formed into a square pipe by extrusion molding of an aluminum alloy, for example, will be described.

The battery case 250 and the floor surface 242a and the battery case 250 and the floor surface 242b are connected by, for example, welding and/or bolt fastening, respectively. The floor surface 242a and the front side sill 262a, and the floor surface 242b and the front side sill 264a are connected by welding and/or bolt fastening, for example.

The battery housing portion 250a is formed of a material and a shape having appropriate strength that prevent the electric vehicle 210 from being deformed at the time of, for example, a frontal collision or a rear collision and that prevent the battery B from being affected as much as possible.

As described above, the battery case 250 is formed of a material having appropriate strength, such as a metal material or a plastic material. In the electric vehicle 210, for example, in the event of a front collision or a rear collision, the battery case 250 is less likely to deform, and the influence of buckling or bending is prevented as much as possible from affecting the prismatic battery B.

Front side frame 24 has a left front frame 72 and a right front frame 74. Front bumpers (not shown) are attached to the front of the left and right front frames 72, 74. The left and right front frames 72, 74 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center of the bottom surface 244 of the base 222 in the left-right direction. The left front frame 72 is fixed to the base 222 in front of the left side sill 262 a. The left front frame 72 is also preferably integrally formed with the left side sill 262 a. The right front frame 74 is fixed to the front of the right side sill 264a of the base 222. The right front frame 74 is also preferably integrally formed with the right side sill 264 a. A space is formed between the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74. That is, the left and right front frames 72, 74, the front end 222a of the base 222, and the bumper cooperate to form an appropriate space. This space is used as a buffer area. The space may be a place where the inverter INV is disposed, or may be a cargo bed, for example. In this case, it is preferable that a space between the left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box shape.

The left front frame 72 and the right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 are tubular in the front-rear direction intersecting a plane defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The left and right front frames 72, 74 of the front side frame 24 have a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction and defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, front side frame 24 exhibits appropriate strength while achieving weight reduction as compared with the case of being solid. The left and right front frames 72, 74 of the front frame 24 have vertically longer edge portions Hf than horizontally longer edge portions Wf in cross section.

In the present embodiment, the upper end of the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 is continuous with the upper surface of the side sill 262 a. The upper end of right front frame 74 of front side frame 24 is continuous with the upper surface of side sill 264 a. The lower end of the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 is continuous with the lower surface of the side sill 262 a. The lower end of right front frame 74 of front side frame 24 is continuous with the lower surface of side sill 264 a.

As described above, the left front frame 72 and the base 222 of the front side frame 24 form the common left front side 246 a. Right front frame 74 and base 222 of front side frame 24 form a common right front side 248 a.

The side sills 262a, 264a of the base 222 and/or the front side frame 24 are disposed below a steering gear SG for steering the wheels FW1, FW2 via knuckles of suspensions FS1, FS 2. The steering gear SG is located above the front side plate 243a of the base 222 and/or above the front side frame 24, and extends in the left-right direction. The steering gear SG is coupled to the steering wheel SW, and turns the wheels FW1 and FW2 in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel SW.

The rear side frame 26 has a left rear frame 76 and a right rear frame 78. Rear bumpers are mounted to the rear of the left and right rear frames 76, 78. The left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 are preferably formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane IS orthogonal to the center of the bottom surface 244 of the base 222 in the left-right direction. The left rear frame 76 is fixed to the rear of the left side sill 262a of the base 222. The left rear frame 76 is also preferably integrally formed with the left side sill 262 a. The right rear frame 78 is fixed to the rear of the right side sill 264a of the base 222. The right rear frame 78 is also preferably integrally formed with the right side sill 264 a. A space is formed between the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78. That is, the left rear frame 76, the right rear frame 78, and the rear end 222b of the base 222 cooperate with the bumper to form an appropriate space. This space is used as a buffer area. The space may be a place where the inverter INV is disposed, or may be a cargo bed, for example. In this case, it is preferable that a space between the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box shape.

The left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 are tubular in the front-rear direction intersecting a plane defined by the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The left and right rear frames 76, 78 of the rear side frame 26 have a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction and defined in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, the rear side frame 26 can be made lighter and exhibit appropriate strength as compared with the case of being solid. The left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear frame 26 have vertically longer edges Hr than horizontally longer edges Wr in cross section.

In the present embodiment, the upper end of the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 is continuous with the upper surface of the side sill 262 a. The upper end of the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 is continuous with the upper surface of the side sill 264 a. The lower end of the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 is continuous with the lower surface of the side sill 262 a. The lower end of the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 is continuous with the lower surface of the side sill 264 a.

As described above, the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 and the base 222 form the common left rear side 246 b. The right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 and the base 222 form a common right rear side surface 248 b.

As shown in fig. 4B, 4C, and 4F, a front connecting portion 282 is fixed between the base 222 and the front side frame 24. The coupling portion 282 couples the battery case 250 and the left front side sill 262a and the battery case 250 and the right front side sill 264 a. The coupling portion 282 extends in the left-right direction at or near the front end 222 a. Preferably, coupling portion 282 is firmly fixed to or integrated with the length of, for example, one half or more of the left and right side surfaces of battery case 250 in the vertical direction, and has an appropriate depth (thickness) in the front-rear direction. Therefore, battery cases 250 are connected in a state sandwiched between connection portions 282 from the left and right. The upper surface of the coupling portion 282 is a front plate 243 a. The coupling portion 282 couples the upper surface of the battery case 250 and the right side surface of the left side sill 262a with a material having appropriate rigidity. The coupling portion 282 couples the upper surface of the battery case 250 and the left side surface of the right side sill 264a with a material having appropriate rigidity. The coupling portion 282 is formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy material forming the base 222, or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP. The left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 is integrated with the front side of the side sill 262 a. The right front frame 74 of the front side frame 24 is integrated with the front side of the side sill 264 a. Therefore, coupling portion 282 couples left front frame 72 and right front frame 74 of front side frame 24 to battery case 250.

For example, an impact due to a collision of an object is input through the vehicle body 14 including the front bumper or the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 directly. That is, the impact due to the collision is input to the front end (one end) 22a from the direction (front direction) opposite to the rear end (the other end) 22 b. Then, an impact is transmitted from the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 to the left side sill 262a, and the impact is transmitted to the battery case 250 via the coupling portion 282. Further, the impact is transmitted to the right side sill 264a via the coupling portion 282. Therefore, for example, the impact input to the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 is dispersed not only by the left side sill 262a but also by the battery box 250 and the right side sill 264a at a position (vicinity of the front end 222 a) in the front of the base 22. That is, when an impact due to a collision is input to front side frame 24 from a side away from battery box 250, front side frame 24 transmits the impact to left side sill 262a and right side sill 264a, and transmits the impact to battery box 250 through coupling 82 to be dispersed. Therefore, when an impact is input to left front frame 72 of front side frame 24, the impact can be suppressed from concentrating on any member of base 222.

Therefore, the strength of each member constituting the base 222 can be designed to be smaller than that in the case where the impact is concentrated on a certain member. Even in a state where the base 222 is formed to have extremely small load resistance, the deformation of the base 222 can be suppressed by transmitting and dispersing the impact to each member constituting the base 222. In this way, by forming the base 222 in a state having as small a load resistance as possible, it is possible to achieve weight reduction and cost reduction of the base 222.

At this time, the connection portion 282 extends in the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction. The coupling portion 282 extends in the left-right direction particularly at or near the distal end 222 a. Therefore, similarly to the torque box TB and the cross member CM, the torsion generated in the chassis 212 is suppressed.

In this way, by using the coupling portion 282 extending in the left-right direction, the impact input to the front side frame 24 can be dispersed to each member of the base 222 at a position on the front side of the base 22 (in the vicinity of the front end 222 a). Therefore, as compared with a case where an impact is concentrated on a certain member, the strength of each member constituting the base 222 can be designed to be small, and the weight and cost of the base 222 can be reduced.

When an impact is input to the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24, the impact is transmitted to the left side sill 262a, and the impact is transmitted to the plate-like body 240 and the front side plate 243a coupled to the left side sill 262 a. The impact transmitted to the plate-like body 240 and the front side plate 243a is transmitted to the battery case 250 and transmitted to the right side sill 264a via the plate-like body 240 and the front side plate 243 a.

The connection portion 282 is also preferably integrated with the front side plate 243 a. The connection portion 282 is also preferably integrated with the plate-like body 240. Therefore, the connection part 282 is also preferably connected to the upper side of the battery case 250 by the front side plate 243a and/or connected to the lower side of the battery case 250 by the plate member 240.

The left front frame 72 and the side sill 262a, and the right front frame 74 and the side sill 264a are cylindrical without requiring through-holes, and the battery case 250 is also cylindrical. Therefore, the thickness can be made thinner than in the case where through-holes through which the drive shafts are inserted are formed in the battery case 250 and the side sills 262a, 264a, and the strength of the battery case 250 and the side sills 262a, 264a can be maintained in an appropriate state.

For example, when an impact is input to the left side sill 262a, the impact is transmitted from the left side sill 262a to the battery case 250 and the right side sill 264a even at a position deviated from the coupling portion 282.

Thus, when an impact is input to front side frame 24, the impact can be transmitted to and dispersed among the members constituting base 222.

Between the bumper and the front end 222a of the base 222, that is, the front side frame 24, a buffer area is formed to buffer an impact when the impact from the front of the electric vehicle 210 is input.

A torsion box TB extending in the left-right direction is disposed in front of the floor surfaces 242a, 242b of the base 222, above the floor surfaces 242a, 242b of the base 222 and the battery box 250. The torque box TB is provided with gauges, an instrument panel, and the like. The torsion box TB connects a side sill 262a continuous with the left front frame 72 of the front side frame 24 and a side sill 264a continuous with the right front frame 74, and also connects the floor surfaces 242a, 242b and the battery box 250. The torque box TB is formed of a metal material or reinforced plastic, as with the joint 282. Therefore, the torque box TB prevents the chassis 212 from twisting, similarly to the above-described coupling portion 282.

The torque box TB is disposed between the steering wheel SW and the steering gear SG in the front-rear direction.

A cross member CM extending in the left-right direction is disposed behind the floor surfaces 242a, 242b of the base 222, above the floor surfaces 242a, 242b of the base 222 and the battery box 250. A portion of the suspensions RS3, RS4 is supported by the cross member CM. The cross member CM connects the side sill 262a continuous with the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 and the side sill 264a continuous with the right rear frame 78, and connects the floor surfaces 242a, 242b and the battery box 250. The cross beam CM is made of a metal material or reinforced plastic, as with the later-described connection portion 292. Therefore, the cross member CM prevents the chassis 212 from twisting, similarly to the above-described connection portion 282 and torque box TB.

A front cover 88 for sealing the battery case 250 is disposed at the front end 222a of the base 222. The cover 88 is connected to the front end 222a of the base 222 by a hinge pin 302. The opening direction of the cover 88 can be set to various directions. The cover 88 is formed, for example, in the same manner as the cover 88 (see fig. 3A and 3B) described in the first embodiment.

A rear cover 98 for sealing the battery case 250 is disposed at the rear end 222b of the base 222. The cover 98 is connected to the rear end 222b of the base 222 by a hinge pin 312. The opening direction of the cover 98 can be set to various directions. The cover 98 is formed, for example, in the same manner as the cover 98 (see fig. 3A and 3B) described in the first embodiment.

Therefore, when the covers 88 and 98 are positioned at the lock positions (see fig. 3A) fixed to the base 222, the battery housing portion 250a of the battery case 250 can be sealed. When the covers 88 and 98 are located at the unlocking positions (see fig. 3B), the battery B can be taken out of and put into the battery housing portion 250 a.

Between the cross member CM and the rear cover 98, backup batteries (not shown) that are shorter than the length of the battery B in the front-rear direction can be disposed on the left and right sides with respect to the battery B.

As shown in fig. 4B, 4C, and 4E, a rear connecting portion 292 is fixed between the base 222 and the rear frame 26. The coupling portion 292 couples the battery case 250 and the side sill 262a and the battery case 250 and the side sill 264 a. The connection portion 292 extends in the left-right direction at or near the rear end 222 b. Preferably, coupling portion 292 is firmly fixed to or integrated with the length of, for example, one half or more in the vertical direction of the left and right side surfaces of battery case 250, and has an appropriate depth (thickness) in the front-rear direction. Therefore, battery cases 250 are connected to each other while being sandwiched between connection portions 292 from the left and right sides. The upper surface of the coupling portion 292 is a rear side plate 243 b. The coupling portion 292 couples the upper surface of the battery case 250 and the right side surface of the left side sill 262b by a material having appropriate rigidity. The coupling portion 292 couples the upper surface of the battery case 250 and the left side surface of the right side sill 264b by a material having appropriate rigidity. The coupling portion 292 is formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy material forming the base 222, or a reinforced plastic such as CFRP. The left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 is integrated with the rear side of the side sill 262 a. The right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 is integrated with the rear side of the side sill 264 a. Therefore, the coupling portion 292 couples the left rear frame 76 and the right rear frame 78 of the rear side frame 26 to the battery case 250.

For example, an impact due to a collision of an object is input through the vehicle body 14 including a rear bumper or directly to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26. That is, the impact due to the collision is input to the rear end (one end) 22b from the direction (rear direction) opposite to the front end (the other end) 22 a. Then, an impact is transmitted from the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 to the left side sill 262b, and the impact is transmitted to the battery case 250 via the coupling portion 292. Further, the impact is transmitted to the right side sill 264b via the connection portion 292. Therefore, for example, the impact input to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26 is dispersed not only by the left side sill 262b but also by the battery box 250 and the right side sill 264b at a position toward the rear (near the rear end 222 b) in the base 22. Therefore, when an impact is input to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26, the impact can be suppressed from concentrating on any member of the base 222.

At this time, the connection portion 292 extends in the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-back direction. The connection portion 292 extends in the left-right direction particularly at or near the rear end 222 b. Therefore, similarly to the torque box TB and the cross member CM, the torsion generated in the chassis 212 is suppressed.

In this way, by using the connecting portions 292 extending in the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction, the impact input to the rear side frame 26 can be dispersed in each member of the base 222 at a position toward the rear (in the vicinity of the rear end 222 b) in the base 22. Therefore, as compared with a case where an impact is concentrated on a certain member, the strength of each member constituting the base 222 can be designed to be small, and the weight and cost of the base 222 can be reduced.

When an impact is input to the left rear frame 76 of the rear side frame 26, the impact is transmitted to the left side sill 262b, and the impact is transmitted to the plate-like body 240 and the rear side plate 243b connected to the left side sill 262 b. The impact transmitted to the plate-shaped body 240 and the rear side plate 243b is transmitted to the battery case 250 and transmitted to the right side sill 264b via the plate-shaped body 240 and the rear side plate 243 b.

The connection portion 292 is also preferably integrated with the rear side plate 243 b. The connection portion 292 is also preferably integrated with the plate-like body 240. Therefore, the connection portion 292 is also preferably connected to the upper side of the battery case 250 by the rear plate 243b and/or connected to the lower side of the battery case 250 by the plate member 240.

The left rear frame 76 and the side sills 262b, and the right rear frame 78 and the side sills 264b are cylindrical without requiring through-holes, and the battery case 250 is also cylindrical. Therefore, the thickness can be made thinner than in the case where the through-holes are formed in the battery case 250 and the side sills 262b and 264b, and the strength of the battery case 250 and the side sills 262b and 264b can be maintained in an appropriate state.

For example, when an impact is input to the left side sill 262b, the impact is transmitted from the left side sill 262b to the battery case 250 and the right side sill 264b even at a position deviated from the coupling portion 292.

Thus, when an impact is input to the rear side frame 26, the impact can be transmitted to and dispersed among the members constituting the base 222.

The bumper and the rear end 222b of the base 222, i.e., the rear side frame 26, form a buffer area for buffering a rear impact from the electric vehicle 210 when the impact is input.

One or more seats are mounted on the floor surfaces 242a and 242b, respectively. Here, an example will be described in which one seat S1 is placed on the floor surface 242a and one seat S2 is placed on the floor surface 242 b. The number of seats is appropriately set.

In the present embodiment, the front side sills 262a, 264a are not straight but curved in the front-rear direction. The pair of side surfaces 246a, 248a are not straight in the front-rear direction, respectively, but are formed into curved surfaces. In the present embodiment, particularly, the distance (width in the left-right direction) between the pair of side surfaces 246a, 248a between the rear end of the coupling portion 282 and the rear end of the torque box TB is increased.

In the present embodiment, the rear side sills 262b, 264b are formed straight in the front-rear direction, respectively. The pair of side surfaces 246b and 248b are also formed straight in the front-rear direction, respectively.

Here, the width of the front side frame 24 in the left-right direction is larger than the width of the rear side frame 26 in the left-right direction.

It is preferable that pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr be provided in battery case 250. The pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr may be integrally formed with the battery case 250. In the present embodiment, pressure reducing valve Vf is located on the right side or left side of battery case 250 in the vicinity of front end 222 a. Here, the pressure reducing valve Vf is provided on the right side surface of battery case 250 opposite to steering wheel SW. The pressure reducing valve Vr is located on the right or left side surface in the vicinity of the rear end 222b in the battery case 250. Here, pressure reducing valve Vr is provided on the right side surface of battery case 250. The pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr may be located at a position of the battery case 250 to be the bottom surface 244 of the base 222.

Here, two pressure reducing valves are provided in the battery box 250, but one pressure reducing valve may be provided in the battery box 250.

When a predetermined pressure is reached in the battery housing portion 250a of the battery case 250, the pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr are operated in a low pressure state as compared with the movement of the covers 88 and 98 to the lock release position, and the internal pressure in the battery housing portion 250a is reduced. The battery storage section 250a is continuous. Therefore, when the pressure of the battery housing portion 250a is increased to a predetermined pressure or more, any one of the pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr may be operated.

The covers 88 and 98 can be prevented from moving to the unlocked positions by the internal pressure in the battery housing portion 250 a. Therefore, battery B can be prevented from being accidentally movable in the front-rear direction with respect to base 222.

Here, the pressure reducing valve Vf is connected to the pipe (flow passage) Df, and the pressure reducing valve Vr is connected to the pipe (flow passage) Dr. One end of the duct Df is fixed to the relief valve Vf, and the other end is fixed to the bottom surface 244. The other end of the conduit Df opens to the ground. Similarly, one end of the pipe Dr is fixed to the pressure reducing valve Vr, and the other end is fixed to the bottom surface 244. The other end of the pipe Dr opens towards the ground. Due to the presence of the ducts Df, Dr, for example, during traveling, objects such as small stones are prevented from directly colliding with the pressure reducing valves Vf, Vr. Therefore, the state of the pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr can be easily maintained in a good state.

The fluid generated by battery B of the present embodiment is released to the lower side of chassis 212 through pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr and ducts Df and Dr. Therefore, the fluid flowing out of the pressure reducing valves Vf and Vr can be prevented from heading toward the driver or the like not only when the electric vehicle 210 is stopped, but also when the vehicle is traveling, for example.

The position at which the other ends of the ducts Df, Dr are open is not limited to a position facing the ground. The other ends of the ducts Df, Dr may be opened between the left and right front frames 72, 74 of the front side frames 24 and/or between the left and right rear frames 76, 78 of the rear side frames 26, for example. Thus, the positions at which the other ends of the ducts Df, Dr are open can be appropriately selected.

(modification example)

A modification of the battery case 250 and the floor surfaces 242a and 242b will be described with reference to fig. 5.

Battery case 250 has flange-like reinforcement 253a protruding to the left side of battery case 250 and flange-like reinforcement 253b protruding to the right side. The reinforcement 253a extends from the battery case 250 toward the left front side sill 262 a. The reinforcement 253b extends from the battery case 250 toward the right front side sill 264 a. The floor surface 242a is positioned above or below the reinforcement 253a, and firmly connected to the battery case 250. The floor surface 242b is positioned above or below the reinforcement 253b, and firmly connected to the battery case 250.

The reinforcement 253a extends in the front-rear direction. One rail 332a of the pair of rails (seat arrangement portions) 332a and 332b on which the seat S1 is arranged is supported by both the reinforcement 253a and the floor surface 242 a. Similarly, the reinforcement 253b extends in the front-rear direction. One rail 334a of the pair of rails (seat arrangement portions) 334a, 334b on which the seat S2 is arranged is supported by both the reinforcement 253b and the floor surface 242 b. That is, the seat arrangement portions 332a and 334a of the seats S1 and S2 in which the occupants are arranged in the occupant space are fixed to the reinforcement bodies 253a and 253 b. Therefore, the battery box 250 is disposed between the seat arrangement portions 332a and 334a of the seats S1 and S2. In this way, the reinforcement bodies 253a and 253b reinforce the battery box 250, and the distance between the seats S1 and S2 can be maintained. Since the seat arrangement portions 332a and 334a are connected to the battery case 250, the resistance to impact can be improved as compared with the case where the rails 332a, 332b, 334a, and 334b are arranged on the floor surfaces 242a and 242 b. Further, by reinforcing battery case 250, battery B in battery case 250 can be protected more reliably even by an impact transmitted through front side frame 24 or rear side frame 26.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. In addition, the respective embodiments may be combined as appropriately as possible, and in this case, the combined effect can be obtained. In the embodiments described above, the solutions including various stages can be extracted by appropriate combinations of a plurality of disclosed technical features.

Claims (11)

1. A chassis for an electric vehicle, characterized in that,

the chassis for the electric vehicle includes:

a bottom surface;

a battery case located above the bottom surface and having one or more cylindrical storage sections extending in the front-rear direction;

the left lower longitudinal beam is arranged on the left side of the storage battery box;

the right lower longitudinal beam is arranged on the right side of the storage battery box;

a first left frame that is separate from the battery box, is located at one end in the front-rear direction of the battery box in a direction opposite to the other end in the front-rear direction of the battery box, and is continuous with a left side surface of the left side sill that faces the left side;

a first right frame that is separate from the battery box, is located at one end in the front-rear direction of the battery box in a direction opposite to the other end in the front-rear direction of the battery box, and is continuous with a right side surface of the right side sill facing the right side; and

first connecting portions extending in the left-right direction at or near the one end of the battery case in the front-rear direction and connecting the first left frame and the battery case and the first right frame and the battery case,

the storage unit of the battery box is configured to be capable of disposing a front end and a rear end of the columnar battery within a range of a wheel base when a wheel base is defined as a distance between a wheel center of a front-most wheel and a wheel center of a rear-most wheel among the plurality of wheels,

when an impact due to a collision is input to the first left frame and the first right frame from a side away from the battery case, the first left frame and the first right frame transmit the impact to the left side sill and the right side sill and are transmitted to the battery case through the first connecting portion to be dispersed.

2. The chassis of claim 1,

the first left frame, the first right frame, the left side sill, and the right side sill are each formed in a tubular shape.

3. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

the battery case is sandwiched from the left and right sides by the first coupling portion.

4. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

the first connecting portion connects at least one of an upper side and a lower side of the battery case.

5. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

the chassis has:

a second left frame that is separate from the battery case, is located in a direction opposite to the one end of the battery case in the front-rear direction with respect to the other end of the battery case in the front-rear direction, and is continuous with a left side surface of the left side sill that faces the left side;

a second right frame that is separate from the battery case, is located in a direction opposite to the one end of the battery case in the front-rear direction with respect to the other end of the battery case in the front-rear direction, and is continuous with a right side surface of the right side sill facing the right side; and

a second coupling portion extending in the left-right direction at or near the other end and coupling the second left frame and the battery box and the second right frame and the battery box,

when an impact due to a collision is input to the second left frame and the second right frame from a side away from the battery case, the second left frame and the second right frame transmit the impact to the left side sill and the right side sill and are dispersed by being transmitted to the battery case through the second coupling portion.

6. The chassis of claim 5,

the left side sill and the right side sill are respectively provided with a front side sill and a rear side sill discontinuous with the front side sill,

the first connecting portion connects the front side sill of the left side sill and the front side sill of the right side sill,

the second connecting portion connects the rear side sill of the left side sill and the rear side sill of the right side sill.

7. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

the storage portions of the battery box have openings at the one ends, respectively, and the battery can pass through the openings and enter and exit through a space formed by the first left frame and the first right frame.

8. The chassis of claim 7,

the first link portion supports a cover that switches the opening between an open position and a closed position.

9. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

a floor surface is formed at a position lower than the upper surface of the battery case,

the battery case has reinforcing bodies extending from the battery case toward the left side sill and the right side sill on the left side,

a seat arrangement portion in which a seat of an occupant is arranged is fixed to the reinforcement body.

10. Chassis according to claim 1 or 2,

the storage units of the battery box are arranged in the left-right direction and are connected to the first connecting unit, respectively.

11. An electric automobile is characterized in that the electric automobile comprises a motor,

the electric vehicle is provided with:

the chassis of any one of claims 1 to 10; and

and a vehicle body mounted on an upper side of the chassis to form a passenger space together with the chassis.

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