Electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle that is able to achieve both the efficiency in loading goods and the workability in replacement of a battery.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 10 includes: a floor panel 16; a deck board 30 disposed on an upper side of the floor panel 16; a battery loading portion 40 disposed between the floor panel 16 and the deck board 30; one or more replaceable batteries 44 that are inserted into and removed from the battery loading portion 40 from a side of the vehicle; a loading port 48 provided at one end of the battery loading portion 40 in a vehicle width direction; and a lid 50 that opens and closes the loading port 48. A margin region 17 is provided between one end of the floor panel 16 in the vehicle width direction and the loading port 48. The deck board 30 includes: a deck board body 32; and an overhang portion 34 disposed at one end of the deck board 30 in the vehicle width direction and protruding outward from the battery loading portion 40 in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the margin region 17 from above. The overhang portion 34 is movable to a retracted position at which a space above the margin region 17 is opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification discloses an electric vehicle equipped with a replaceable battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles equipped with a motor as a power source and a battery that supplies power to the motor have been widely known. The battery installed in an electric vehicle is a rechargeable secondary battery that is charged as needed by an external power source.

[0003] To effectively utilize an electric vehicle even while the battery is being charged, it has been proposed to use a replaceable battery that can be attached to or detached from the electric vehicle. When a replaceable battery is used, if the charge rate of a battery installed in the electric vehicle decreases, the battery is removed from the electric vehicle and replaced with another battery that has been pre-charged. The battery removed from the electric vehicle is then charged outside the electric vehicle. Since the electric vehicle can still be driven while the removed battery is being charged, the electric vehicle can be used more effectively. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-151916 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a replaceable battery is placed under a floor panel of a vehicle. Furthermore, in the case of the technology in Patent Document 1, the battery loading port is located at the end of the electric vehicle in the vehicle width direction. In this case, if the vehicle is involved in a side collision, the impact of the collision is immediately input to the battery, which may cause damage to the battery. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a small margin between the battery loading port and the end of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

[0006] Typically, a panel called a floor panel or deck board is placed above the battery. If the blank area is covered by the panel from above, it becomes difficult for the user to see the area around the loading port, reducing the ease of battery replacement. On the other hand, if the panel is cut out in a portion that overlaps with the blank area, cargo cannot be loaded in the cut-out portion, reducing cargo loading efficiency.

[0007] Therefore, this specification discloses an electric vehicle that can achieve both high load carrying efficiency and easy battery replacement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electric vehicle disclosed in this specification includes a floor panel, a deck board arranged above the floor panel, a battery loading section arranged between the floor panel and the deck board, one or more replaceable batteries that are inserted into and removed from the side of the vehicle in the battery loading section, a loading opening provided at one end of the battery loading section in the vehicle width direction, and a lid that opens and closes the loading opening, wherein there is a blank area between the one end of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction and the loading opening, and the deck board has a deck board main body and an overhanging section that is arranged at the one end of the deck board in the vehicle width direction and protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the battery loading section so as to cover the blank area from above, and the overhanging section is movable to a retracted position that opens up the space above the blank area.

[0009] This configuration improves the efficiency of loading luggage by allowing luggage to be placed on the marginal area. Also, by moving the overhanging portion to the retracted position, the overhanging portion does not obstruct the view, making it easy to replace the battery.

[0010] In this case, the vehicle may further include a pair of side members spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, the battery loading section being located within the width between the pair of side members, and the lid may swing downward around an axis near the lower end of the loading opening to open the loading opening.

[0011] By configuring the lid to swing downward when the loading port is opened, the lid does not obstruct the user's view when opened, allowing the user to easily replace the battery.

[0012] The overhanging portion may be moved to the retracted position by sliding in a plane direction of the deck board.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the overhanging portion can be moved to the retracted position even when part of the luggage is resting on the overhanging portion, which makes it easier for the user to replace the battery.

[0014] The overhanging portion may be swingably connected to the deck board main body and may move to the retracted position by swinging upward.

[0015] By adopting such a configuration, the configuration of the overhang portion can be simplified.

[0016] The deck board may further include a support member made of a rigid body that supports the overhang portion from below.

[0017] With this configuration, deformation of the overhanging portion is effectively prevented, so that cargo can be stably placed on the overhanging portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, it is possible to achieve both cargo loading efficiency and ease of battery replacement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a rear side door of the electric vehicle as viewed from outside the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electric vehicle. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line B-B. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relative arrangement of the deck board and the battery loading section. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of another deck board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The configuration of electric vehicle 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of rear side door 12 of electric vehicle 10 as seen from outside the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of electric vehicle 10. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the relative arrangement of deck board 30 and battery loading section 40. In each drawing, "Fr", "Up", and "Rh" indicate the front, upper, and right side of electric vehicle 10, respectively.

[0021] The electric vehicle 10 has a traction motor (not shown) and a battery 44 that supplies power to the traction motor. The electric vehicle 10 exemplified below is a commercial vehicle used to transport luggage. The rear seats of the electric vehicle 10 have been removed to improve luggage loading efficiency. Therefore, the entire area behind the front seats 29 (not visible in FIG. 1, see FIG. 3) can be used as a luggage compartment. A front side door 11 and a rear side door 12 are arranged side by side in the front and rear directions on the sides of the electric vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the front side door 11 is a hinged door that swings around an axis extending vertically. The rear side door 12 is a sliding door that slides in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The rear side door 12 opens and closes a rear side door opening 14.

[0022] The battery 44 is a replaceable battery that can be easily replaced in the electric vehicle 10. The battery 44 is configured by housing a battery body made up of a plurality of unit cells in a housing. The housing of the battery 44 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. A battery-side connector is provided at one end of the battery 44. By connecting this battery-side connector to a vehicle-side connector 46, which will be described later, the on-board power system and the battery 44 are electrically connected. The battery body is a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery (for example, a lithium-ion battery). Therefore, the battery 44 removed from the electric vehicle 10 can be charged outside the vehicle.

[0023] In this way, by making the batteries 44 replaceable, the utilization efficiency of the electric vehicle 10 is improved and peak demand for commercial electricity can be moderated. That is, if the batteries 44 are replaceable, after removing a battery 44 from the electric vehicle 10, another charged battery 44 can be installed in the electric vehicle 10. This allows the electric vehicle 10 to run even while some of the batteries 44 are being charged, improving the utilization efficiency of the electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, if the batteries 44 are replaceable, the time to perform charging can be freely selected regardless of the usage status of the electric vehicle 10. Therefore, the batteries 44 can be charged during times when demand for commercial electricity is low (for example, late at night), thereby moderating peak demand for commercial electricity.

[0024] Such a battery 44 is mounted in a location that allows the user to easily replace it, but does not interfere with the loading of luggage. In the case of the electric vehicle 10 disclosed in this specification, a battery loading section 40 into which the battery 44 is loaded is located adjacent to the rear side door opening 14. This battery loading section 40 will be described in detail below.

[0025] First, before describing the battery loading section 40, the basic body structure of the electric vehicle 10 will be described. The electric vehicle 10 reuses the body structure of existing vehicles almost as is. By reusing the body structure of existing vehicles, it becomes possible to share parts and manufacturing processes with existing vehicles, thereby reducing the development and manufacturing costs of the electric vehicle 10. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the electric vehicle 10 has a pair of side members 24 arranged at a distance in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of cross members 26 connecting the pair of side members 24. The side members 24 and the cross members 26 both form the frame of the electric vehicle 10.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, a floor panel 16 is provided above the side member 24. The floor panel 16 is a steel plate panel that forms the floor surface of the vehicle interior. The floor panel 16 is welded to the frame (side member 24, etc.) of the electric vehicle 10. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a depression 18 exists immediately behind the front seat 29. The depression 18 is a groove-shaped depression that extends in the vehicle width direction. In the case of an existing vehicle, a rear seat is located immediately behind this depression 18. As mentioned above, in the case of the electric vehicle 10 of this example, the rear seat has been removed.

[0027] The rear side door opening 14 is located immediately beside the recess 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the rear side door opening 14 is defined by a rocker 28. The rocker 28 is a type of frame that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, a battery loading section 40 is provided above the recess 18. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery loading section 40 is completely contained within the fore-and-aft width of the rear side door opening 14. This arrangement allows the user to easily access the battery loading section 40 through the rear side door opening 14.

[0028] The battery loading section 40 is a section into which a battery 44 is loaded. The battery loading section 40 has, for example, a battery case 42. As shown in FIG. 4 , the battery case 42 is a container that houses one or more batteries 44 (three in the illustrated example), and is a substantially rectangular box that is open at one end in the vehicle width direction. The opening at one end in the vehicle width direction of the battery case 42 is a loading opening 48 through which the battery 44 is inserted or removed. When replacing the battery 44, the user accesses the battery case 42 from the side of the electric vehicle 10 (the left in the illustrated example) and inserts or removes the battery 44 through the loading opening 48. As described above, in this example, the rear side door 12 is a sliding door. By using a sliding door, interference between the inserted or removed battery 44 and the rear side door 12 can be effectively prevented, improving the workability when replacing the battery 44.

[0029] The loading opening 48 is opened and closed by a case lid 50. For example, the case lid 50 swings around a position near the bottom of the loading opening 48. As shown in FIG. 4 , the case lid 50 closes the loading opening 48 when in an upright position substantially parallel to a vertical plane. Furthermore, the upright case lid 50 swings downward to open the loading opening 48. By swinging the case lid 50 around the bottom of the loading opening 48 in this manner, when the case lid 50 is opened, the case lid 50 is no longer positioned between the user's eyes (which are typically located above the loading opening 48) and the loading opening 48. This allows the user to easily see the area around the loading opening 48, improving the ease of replacing the battery 44. In the illustrated example, the vertical dimension of the case lid 50 is significantly smaller than the front-to-rear dimension of the case lid 50. Therefore, by making the case lid 50 open downward, the amount of protrusion when the case lid 50 is opened can be kept small compared to when the case lid 50 opens sideways. However, it goes without saying that the configuration of the case lid 50 is not limited to the illustrated example and can be changed as appropriate, and the case lid 50 may be changed to a side-opening type, a double-door type, a sliding type, or the like.

[0030] A connector 46 is provided inside the battery case 42 and is electrically connected to the battery 44 loaded in the battery case 42. The battery 44 is electrically connected to the vehicle's power system via the connector 46.

[0031] 2 and 4, the battery loading section 40 (i.e., the battery case 42) is contained within the width between the two side members 24 in a plan view. With this configuration, when the electric vehicle 10 is involved in a side collision, the side members 24 receive the impact before the battery loading section 40. Therefore, damage to the battery 44 housed in the battery loading section 40 is effectively prevented.

[0032] When the battery loading section 40 is positioned within the width between the two side members 24, an empty space in which nothing is placed is formed between one end of the floor panel 16 in the vehicle width direction and the loading opening 48. Hereinafter, this empty space between the floor panel 16 and the loading opening 48 will be referred to as the "blank area 17."

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the height of battery case 42 is smaller than the depth of recessed portion 18. Electric vehicle 10 further includes deck board 30, which is disposed above floor panel 16 so as to cover recessed portion 18. In other words, battery loading section 40 is disposed within the space surrounded by deck board 30 and recessed portion 18. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, deck board 30 forms a flat floor surface that extends from the rear of front seats 29 to the rear end of the vehicle. By providing such deck board 30, the entire space behind front seats 29 can be used as a luggage compartment, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting luggage by electric vehicle 10.

[0034] Deck board 30 is not welded to any part of electric vehicle 10 and can be removed from electric vehicle 10 without damaging any parts of electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, by removing deck board 30 from electric vehicle 10 as needed, maintenance of battery loading section 40 can be easily performed.

[0035] 2, 4, and 5, the deck board 30 has a main body 32 and an overhang portion 34. The main body 32 is a panel material that covers most of the luggage compartment except for the above-mentioned margin area 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the main body 32 has a cutout 33 formed in an area that overlaps with the margin area 17 in a plan view.

[0036] The overhanging portion 34 is a panel material that is disposed at one end of the deck board 30 in the vehicle width direction and covers the marginal area 17 from above. In other words, the overhanging portion 34 is a panel material that is disposed in the cutout 33. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the overhanging portion 34 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the battery loading portion 40. In the example of FIG. 4 , the overhanging portion 34 is connected to the main body 32 via a hinge mechanism 36. The hinge mechanism 36 allows the overhanging portion 34 to swing about an axis that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. By swinging, the overhanging portion 34 can be displaced between a normal position that covers the marginal area 17 from above and a retracted position that opens up the space above the marginal area 17. In FIG. 4, the overhang portion 34 in the retracted position is shown by a solid line, and the overhang portion 34 in the normal position is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0037] 4 and 5, a support member 38, which is a rigid body that supports the overhang portion 34 from below when the overhang portion 34 is in the normal position, is provided at the outer end of the cutout 33 in the vehicle width direction. The support member 38 is, for example, a metal rod-shaped member that crosses the cutout 33 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0038] As described above, the overhanging portion 34 can be displaced between a normal position where it covers the marginal area 17 from above and a retracted position where it opens up the space above the marginal area 17. By positioning the overhanging portion 34 in the normal position, it is possible to place luggage on the upper side of the marginal area 17 as well. This further improves the luggage loading efficiency of the electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, in the normal position, the overhanging portion 34 is supported by the support member 38. Therefore, bending or damage to the overhanging portion 34 can be prevented even when the luggage is heavy.

[0039] Furthermore, when replacing the battery 44, the user moves the overhanging portion 34 to the retracted position. This configuration allows the user to clearly see the area around the loading opening 48 without being obstructed by the overhanging portion 34. This further improves the ease of replacing the battery 44.

[0040] During the battery 44 replacement process, the overhanging portion 34 may be subjected to some kind of shock or vibration, causing it to fall from the retracted position to the normal position. To prevent such unintentional falling of the overhanging portion 34, the hinge mechanism 36 may be provided with a latch mechanism that temporarily holds the swing angle of the overhanging portion 34. For example, the hinge mechanism 36 may be a ratchet hinge that holds the swing angle from the normal position to the retracted position in predetermined angle increments.

[0041] 4, in a configuration in which the overhanging portion 34 swings using the hinge mechanism 36, it is necessary to move the luggage completely outside the overhanging portion 34 before moving the overhanging portion 34 to the retracted position. In other words, in the configuration in FIG. 4, the user needs to move the luggage before replacing the battery 44, which is time-consuming.

[0042] Therefore, the overhanging portion 34 may be configured to move to the retracted position without interfering with luggage placed on the deck board 30. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the retracted position may be a lower portion of the main body 32. In this case, the overhanging portion 34 moves to the retracted position by sliding in the surface direction of the main body 32. In this case, for example, a slide rail (not shown) is fixed to the back surface of the main body 32, and a movable body (not shown) that moves along the slide rail is fixed to the surface of the overhanging portion 34. In this way, by sliding the overhanging portion 34, the overhanging portion 34 can be moved to the retracted position even if some luggage protrudes into the margin area 17. This allows the battery 44 to be replaced smoothly without moving the luggage.

[0043] In the above description, the overhanging portion 34 is mechanically connected to the main body 32 via the hinge mechanism 36 or slide rails and is not completely detachable from the main body 32. However, the overhanging portion 34 may be completely detachable from the main body 32. For example, the overhanging portion 34 may be a panel material placed on the periphery of the main body 32 and the support member 38 so as to bridge the two.

[0044] Furthermore, the configurations described so far are all examples, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate as long as the configuration described in claim 1 is included. For example, in the above description, the rear side door 12 is a sliding door, but the rear side door 12 may be a hinged door like the front side door 11. The configuration of the battery loading section 40 may also be changed as appropriate. For example, the shape and size of the battery loading section 40, the presence or absence of a case lid 50, etc. may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 electric vehicle, 11 front side door, 12 rear side door, 14 rear side door opening, 16 floor panel, 17 margin area, 18 recessed portion, 24 side member, 26 cross member, 28 rocker, 29 front seat, 30 deck board, 32 main body, 33 cutout, 34 overhang portion, 36 hinge mechanism, 38 support member, 40 battery loading portion, 42 battery case, 44 battery, 46 connector, 48 loading port, 50 case lid.

Claims

1. Floor panels and a deck board disposed above the floor panel; a battery loading section disposed between the floor panel and the deck board; one or more replaceable batteries that are inserted into and removed from the battery loading section from the side of the vehicle; a loading port provided at one end of the battery loading section in the vehicle width direction; a lid for opening and closing the loading port; a margin area between one end of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction and the loading opening; The deck board is The deck board itself, an overhang portion that is disposed at one end of the deck board in the vehicle width direction and that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the battery loading portion so as to cover the blank area from above; the overhanging portion is movable to a retracted position that opens up the space above the marginal area. An electric vehicle characterized by:

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: A pair of side members are provided which are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, the battery loading section is disposed within a width between the pair of side members, The lid swings downward about an axis near the lower end of the loading opening to open the loading opening. An electric vehicle characterized by:

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The electric vehicle, wherein the overhang portion moves to the retracted position by sliding in a plane direction of the deck board.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The electric vehicle, wherein the overhang portion is swingably connected to the deck board main body and moves to the retracted position by swinging upward.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The electric vehicle is characterized in that the deck board further includes a support member made of a rigid body that supports the overhang portion from below.

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