Electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle which has only a small extent of design change from a vehicle body structure of an existing vehicle while equipped with a replaceable battery.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 10 includes: a rear side door opening 14 that is opened and closed by a rear side door 12; a battery loading portion 40 that is placed at an upper side relative to a lower end of the rear side door opening 14, and at an upper side relative to a floor panel 16; and one or more replaceable batteries 44 that are inserted into and removed from the battery loading portion 40 from a side of the vehicle. The battery loading portion 40 is fitted within a width of the rear side door opening 14 in a front-and-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

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] Here, the replaceable battery should be placed in a location that allows for easy insertion and removal. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a replaceable battery is placed under the floor panel of a vehicle. With this technology, the user can easily insert and remove the replaceable battery from the side of the vehicle.

[0006] However, in the case of the technology of Patent Document 1, in order to ensure the installation space for the replaceable battery, the floor panel needs to be placed at a much higher height than in existing vehicles, and therefore the body structure of existing vehicles cannot be reused in the case of the technology of Patent Document 1.

[0007] Therefore, this specification discloses an electric vehicle that is equipped with a replaceable battery while minimizing design changes to the body structure of existing vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electric vehicle disclosed in this specification is characterized by comprising a rear side door opening that is opened and closed by a rear side door, a battery loading section that is located above the lower end of the rear side door opening and above the floor panel, and one or more replaceable batteries that are inserted into and removed from the side of the vehicle in the battery loading section, and the battery loading section is contained within the fore-and-aft width of the rear side door opening.

[0009] This configuration allows the user to easily access the battery loading section from the rear side door opening, making it easy to replace the battery. Also, because the battery is located above the floor panel, there is no need to significantly change the floor panel placement height from existing vehicles, which minimizes design changes to the body structure of existing vehicles.

[0010] In this case, the electric vehicle may further include a deck board, the floor panel having a groove-shaped recess extending in the vehicle width direction at a position rearward of the front seats, the deck board being arranged above the floor panel so as to cover the recess and forming a flat floor surface extending from the rear of the front seats to the rear end of the vehicle, and the battery loading section being located within a space surrounded by the deck board and the recess.

[0011] With this configuration, the space behind the front seats can be effectively used as a luggage compartment.

[0012] The rear side door may be a sliding door, the floor panel may be welded to a vehicle body, and the deck board may be removable from the electric vehicle without destroying any components of the electric vehicle.

[0013] When the rear side door is a sliding door, interference between the battery inserted or removed from the battery loading section and the rear side door can be effectively prevented, thereby improving the workability of battery replacement. Furthermore, with the above configuration, the deck board can be easily removed, facilitating maintenance of the battery loading section located below the deck board.

[0014] The battery loading section includes a box-shaped battery case that houses the one or more replaceable batteries, and the battery case includes a loading opening provided at the vehicle width end of the battery case and a downward-opening case lid that covers the loading opening and swings around an axis near the loading opening, and the distance from the loading opening to the vehicle width end of the floor panel may be approximately the same as the vertical dimension of the loading opening or greater than the vertical dimension of the loading opening.

[0015] By using a downward-opening case lid, the case lid does not obstruct the user's view of the area around the loading port when the case lid is opened. As a result, the workability of battery replacement is improved. Furthermore, with this configuration, the case lid does not protrude outside the vehicle when opened.

[0016] The electric vehicle may further include a pair of side members spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, the battery loading section being contained within the width between the pair of side members, and the center of the battery loading section in the vehicle width direction substantially coinciding with the center of the electric vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] With this configuration, when an electric vehicle is involved in a side collision, the side member receives the impact before the battery loading section. This effectively prevents damage to the battery during a side collision. Furthermore, by locating the battery loading section at the center of the vehicle, the battery loading section can be easily reversed from left to right. By reversing the battery loading section, the user can insert and remove the battery from the direction they desire. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, it is possible to mount a replaceable battery while minimizing design changes to the body structure of existing vehicles. [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. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The configuration of the electric vehicle 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the rear side door 12 of the electric vehicle 10 as seen from outside the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the 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. In each drawing, "Fr", "Up", and "Rh" indicate the front, upper, and right side of the 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 can be 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), and peak demand for commercial electricity can be moderated.

[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 recessed portion 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 extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, the height of the bottom of the recessed portion 18 is close to the height of the bottom end of the rear side door opening 14. Therefore, when the rear side door 12 is opened, the upper side of the recessed portion 18 (i.e., the floor panel 16) is easily accessible, but the lower side of the recessed portion 18 is not easily accessible. The shape and arrangement of the floor panel 16 are the same as those of existing vehicles. That is, even in existing vehicles, the height of the bottom of the recessed portion 18 of the floor panel 16 is close to the height of the bottom end of the rear side door opening 14.

[0028] In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery loading section 40 is provided above the recess 18 (i.e., the floor panel 16) and above the lower end of the rear side door opening 14. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery loading section 40 is completely contained within the front-to-rear 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. Furthermore, by locating the battery loading section 40 above the floor panel 16, there is no need to significantly change the position of the floor panel 16 from that of an existing vehicle, and the body structure of the existing vehicle can be reused as is.

[0029] 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.

[0030] The loading opening 48 is opened and closed by a case lid 50. For example, the case lid 50 is a downward-opening lid that swings around a position near the bottom of the loading opening 48. By making the case lid 50 downward-opening, when the case lid 50 is opened, the case lid 50 is not interposed 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 addition, 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 downward-opening, the amount of protrusion when the case lid 50 is opened can be kept small compared to when the case lid 50 is horizontally opened. However, it should be understood that the configuration of the case lid 50 is not limited to the illustrated example and can be modified as appropriate. The case lid 50 may be modified to a horizontal opening type, a double door type, a sliding type, or the like.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 4, the distance from the loading opening 48 to the end of the floor panel 16 in the vehicle width direction is the same as or greater than the vertical dimension of the loading opening 48. With this configuration, when the downward-opening case lid 50 is opened, the case lid 50 does not protrude outside the vehicle.

[0034] Furthermore, the center of the battery loading unit 40 in the vehicle width direction substantially coincides with the center of the electric vehicle 10 in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the arrangement of the battery loading unit 40 can be easily reversed from left to right, and the replacement direction of the battery 44 can be easily changed. That is, in the illustrated example, the battery 44 is configured to be replaced from the left side of the electric vehicle 10. However, depending on the user's preference, there may be cases where the battery 44 is replaced from the right side of the electric vehicle 10. To accommodate such user preferences, the arrangement of the battery loading unit 40 may be reversed from left to right before the user purchases the electric vehicle 10. In this case, if the center of the battery loading unit 40 is aligned with the center of the electric vehicle 10, the structural changes to the electric vehicle 10 that accompany the left-right reversal can be kept to a minimum.

[0035] Here, 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 a deck board 20 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 20 and recessed portion 18. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, deck board 20 forms a flat floor surface that extends from the rear of front seats 29 to the rear end of the vehicle. By providing such a deck board 20, 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.

[0036] Deck board 20 is not welded to any part of electric vehicle 10, and can be removed from electric vehicle 10 without destroying any parts of electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, by removing deck board 20 from electric vehicle 10 as needed, maintenance of battery loading section 40 can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 2 , a cutout 22 may be formed in deck board 20 in the vicinity of loading opening 48. Forming such a cutout 22 further improves the user's visibility of the area around loading opening 48.

[0037] As is clear from the above description, according to the configuration disclosed herein, the battery 44 is disposed adjacent to the rear side door opening 14. As a result, the user can easily access the battery loading section 40 through the rear side door opening 14, improving the workability of replacing the battery 44. Furthermore, as is clear from the above description, according to the configuration disclosed herein, it is possible to minimize design changes from existing vehicles. As a result, it is possible to reduce the costs required for developing and manufacturing the electric vehicle 10.

[0038] The configurations described above are merely examples, and other configurations may be modified as appropriate as long as the structure described in claim 1 is provided. 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 modified 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 modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 Electric vehicle, 11 Front side door, 12 Rear side door, 14 Rear side door opening, 16 Floor panel, 18 Depression, 20 Deck board, 22 Cutout, 24 Side member, 26 Cross member, 28 Rocker, 29 Front seat, 40 Battery loading area, 42 Battery case, 44 Battery, 46 Connector, 48 Loading port, 50 Case lid.

Claims

1. a rear side door opening that is opened and closed by the rear side door; a battery loading section disposed above a lower end of the rear side door opening and above a floor panel; one or more replaceable batteries that are inserted into and removed from the battery loading section from the side of the vehicle; the battery loading section is located within the front-rear width of the rear side door opening. An electric vehicle characterized by:

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, Furthermore, it is equipped with a deck board, the floor panel has a groove-shaped recess extending in the vehicle width direction at a position rearward of the front seats, the deck board is disposed above the floor panel so as to cover the recessed portion, and forms a flat floor surface extending from the rear of the front seats to the rear end of the vehicle; the battery loading section is disposed within a space surrounded by the deck board and the recessed section. An electric vehicle characterized by:

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, the rear side door is a sliding door, The floor panel is welded to the vehicle body, The deck board is removable from the electric vehicle without destroying any components of the electric vehicle. An electric vehicle characterized by:

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, the battery loading section includes a box-shaped battery case that houses the one or more replaceable batteries, The battery case is a loading port provided at an end of the battery case in the vehicle width direction; a downward-opening case lid that covers the loading opening and swings around an axis near the loading opening; Including, The distance from the loading opening to the vehicle width direction end of the floor panel is approximately the same as or greater than the vertical dimension of the loading opening. An electric vehicle characterized by:

5. An electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Furthermore, a pair of side members are provided that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, the battery loading section is located within a width between the pair of side members, a center of the battery loading section in the vehicle width direction substantially coincides with a center of the electric vehicle in the vehicle width direction; An electric vehicle characterized by:

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