ELECTRICALLY POWERED MOTOR VEHICLE INCLUDING AN ADDITIONAL BATTERY MODULE

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric motor vehicle (1), said vehicle comprising an electric propulsion motor and an additional battery module (2) for powering said motor, said module comprising a housing (3) and an additional battery (4) housed within said housing, said module being removably mounted on a floor (5) and between two seats arranged side by side in said vehicle, so as to form a seat console, said module further comprising a main connector (6) for connecting said additional battery to said motor, said vehicle further comprising a hood (7) removably mounted on said module, said hood being provided with an object receiving interface (8) and an auxiliary connector (9) for connecting said additional battery, so as to allow electrical power to said hood. Figure 1.

Description

Title of the invention: ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING AN ADDITIONAL BATTERY MODULE

[0001] The invention relates to an electrically powered motor vehicle comprising an additional battery module for supplying power to a propulsion motor of said vehicle.

[0002] It is known to produce an electrically powered motor vehicle, said vehicle comprising: - an electric motor for propelling said vehicle, - an additional battery module for supplying power to said engine, said module comprising a housing and an additional battery housed in said housing, said module being removably mounted on a floor and between two seats arranged side by side of said vehicle, so as to form a seat console, said module further comprising a main socket for connecting said additional battery to said engine.

[0003] The presence of such an additional battery makes it possible in particular to have an additional electrical reserve making it possible to reach a power supply terminal in the event of unforeseen depletion of a main battery supplying the vehicle's propulsion motor.

[0004] It is also possible to provide that the additional battery is the sole source of power for the engine, particularly in the case of urban vehicles having short journeys to make.

[0005] Positioning such a module between two seats arranged side by side provides a console capable of receiving objects.

[0006] It may be useful to provide such a console with additional functionalities requiring a source of electrical energy formed by the additional battery.

[0007] In the case of vehicles equipped with a main battery, the choice to use the additional battery as a source of energy for the console may be dictated by a desire not to discharge said main battery.

[0008] And, in the case of “urban” vehicles equipped only with an additional battery, the electrical energy can only be supplied by said additional battery.

[0009] In these different cases, it is unsuitable to provide the additional battery module with the additional functionalities mentioned above, in particular for cost reasons.

[0010] Indeed, the additional battery module is usually dismantled and removed from the vehicle in order to charge said battery, in particular by its connection to a domestic socket provided in the vehicle user's home.

[0011] And it may turn out that, for practical reasons, the user substitutes for an initial module which has been dismantled a pre-loaded replacement module, said replacement module once unloaded being in turn replaced by said initial module which has been reloaded, and so on.

[0012] With this method, the user does not have to wait for a module to be recharged in order to use the vehicle, since he always has a charged module.

[0013] It is then easy to understand that having the additional functionalities mentioned above on the two modules is useless and generates additional costs.

[0014] The invention aims to propose an arrangement making it possible to avoid such an additional cost.

[0015] To this end, the invention proposes an electrically powered motor vehicle, said vehicle comprising: - an electric motor for propelling said vehicle, - an additional battery module for supplying power to said engine, said module comprising a housing and an additional battery housed in said housing, said module being removably mounted on a floor and between two seats arranged side by side of said vehicle, so as to form a seat console, said module further comprising a main socket for connecting said additional battery to said engine, said vehicle further comprising a hood removably mounted on said module, said hood being provided with an object reception interface and an additional socket for connection to said additional battery, so as to allow an electrical supply to said hood.

[0016] With the proposed arrangement, there is a common, therefore unique, cover mounted on the module in use in the vehicle, which makes it possible to achieve the expected cost savings.

[0017] It is specified here that the fact that the module or the cover is mounted in a removable manner means that they can be easily mounted or dismounted by a user of the vehicle, in particular without the aid of a tool.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the reception interface is in the form of a housing for receiving a food receptacle, the cover being provided with a resistor mounted so as to allow heating of said housing, said resistor being connected to the auxiliary socket, said cover further comprising a switch allowing electrical power to said resistor when said receptacle is arranged in said housing.

[0019] Such an arrangement allows a user to keep a drink or a dish warm.

[0020] In particular, the receiving interface in the form of a housing has a wall in the general shape of a truncated cone, the resistor having a part in the shape of a truncated cone helix surrounding said wall, such a truncated cone shape being particularly suitable for a cup-type receptacle.

[0021] According to another embodiment, the reception interface is in the form of a space for receiving an external electrical device, the cover being provided with an electrical connection means allowing charging of said device, said connection means being connected to the additional socket.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the vehicle further comprises a main means for reversibly locking the module on the floor.

[0023] It is indeed relevant to provide a firm attachment of the module to the floor, particularly in the event of a vehicle accident which risks leading to said module being thrown into the passenger compartment, which could be a source of injury for the occupants of said vehicle.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the vehicle further comprises an additional means for reversibly locking the hood onto the module, in order to prevent a risk of said hood being thrown into the passenger compartment in the event of an accident.

[0025] The invention will be further detailed by the description of non-limiting embodiments, and on the basis of [Fig.l] which is a schematic representation in partial section of a motor vehicle according to one embodiment.

[0026] A description will now be given, with reference to the figures, of an electrically powered motor vehicle 1, said vehicle comprising: - an electric motor, not shown, for propelling said vehicle, - an additional battery module 2 for supplying said motor, said module comprising a housing 3 - in particular made of molded plastic material - and an additional battery 4 housed in said housing, said module being mounted in a removable manner - in particular by fitting - on a floor 5 and between two seats - in particular front seats, not shown - arranged side by side of said vehicle, so as to form a seat console, said module further comprising a main socket 6 for connecting said additional battery to said engine, said vehicle further comprising a hood 7 - in particular made of molded plastic material - removably mounted - in particular by fitting - on said module, said hood being provided with an interface 8 for receiving an object and an additional socket 9 for connection to said additional battery, so as to allow an electrical supply to said hood.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the main socket 6 is arranged so as to connect directly by mounting the module 2 on the floor 5, which avoids for the user a specific connection manipulation.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the additional socket 9 is arranged so as to connect directly by mounting the cover 7 on the module 2, which avoids the user having to carry out a specific connection operation.

[0029] According to the embodiment shown, the reception interface 8 is in the form of a housing for receiving a food receptacle 10, the cover 7 being provided with a resistor 11 mounted so as to allow heating of said housing, said resistor being connected to the auxiliary socket 9, said cover further comprising a switch, not shown, allowing electrical power to said resistor when said receptacle is arranged in said housing.

[0030] According to various embodiments, the switch can be formed by a button actuated by a user or by a lever arranged at the bottom of the housing, said lever being actuated by pressing the receptacle 10 under the effect of its weight, which makes it possible to avoid specific manipulation on the part of the user.

[0031] According to the embodiment shown, the receiving interface 8 in the form of a housing has a wall 13 in the general shape of a truncated cone, the resistor 11 having a part in the shape of a truncated cone helix surrounding said wall.

[0032] According to another embodiment not shown, the reception interface 8 is in the form of a reception space - for example in the form of a tray - for an external electrical device, the cover 7 being provided with an electrical connection means - for example in the form of a "USB socket" - allowing charging of said device, said connection means being connected to the additional socket 9.

[0033] According to an embodiment not shown, it is possible to provide, on the same cover 7, the coexistence of an interface 8 in the form of a housing for receiving a food receptacle 10 and another interface 8 in the form of a space for receiving an external electrical device.

[0034] According to the embodiment shown, the vehicle 1 further comprises a main reversible locking means 14 for locking the module 2 on the floor 5 - said means comprising for example, in a manner not shown, a main latch actuated in closing by a main spring or by an electrical device, said device being able to implement an electromagnet.

[0035] According to an embodiment not shown, the vehicle 1 may further comprise an additional means for reversibly locking the hood 7 on the module 2 - said means comprising for example an additional latch actuated in closing by an additional spring.

[0036] According to a variant not shown, the cover 7 is fitted onto the module 2, the fitting or disengaging action temporarily actuating in withdrawal an elastically retractable stop provided on said cover or on the housing 3, so as to allow fitting / disengaging of said cover with a “hard point” effect allowing its support once mounted.

Claims

Claims

1. Electrically powered motor vehicle (1), said vehicle comprising: - an electric motor for propelling said vehicle, - an additional battery module (2) for supplying said motor, said module comprising a housing (3) and an additional battery (4) housed in said housing, said module being removably mounted on a floor (5) and between two seats arranged side by side of said vehicle, so as to form a seat console, said module further comprising a main socket (6) for connecting said additional battery to said motor, said vehicle being characterized in that it further comprises a cover (7) removably mounted on said module, said cover being provided with an interface (8) for receiving an object and an additional socket (9) for connecting to said additional battery, so as to allow an electrical supply to said cover.

2. Vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving interface (8) is in the form of a housing for receiving a food receptacle (10), the cover (7) being provided with a resistor (11) mounted so as to allow heating of said housing, said resistor being connected to the auxiliary socket (9), said cover further comprising a switch allowing electrical power to said resistor when said receptacle is arranged in said housing.

3. Vehicle (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the receiving interface (8) in the form of a housing has a wall (13) in the general shape of a truncated cone, the resistance (11) having a part in the shape of a truncated cone helix surrounding said wall.

4. Vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reception interface (8) is in the form of a space for receiving an external electrical device, the hood (7) being provided with an electrical connection means allowing charging of said device, said connection means being connected to the auxiliary socket (9).

5. Vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises a main reversible locking means (14) of the module (2) on the floor (5).

6. Vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises an additional means for reversibly locking the hood (7) on the module (2).

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