Fuel cell vehicle

Abstract

To provide a fuel cell vehicle which enables improvement of protection performance for a fuel tank against an impact caused by a rear-end collision.SOLUTION: A fuel cell vehicle 1 includes: a fuel cell 15; a plurality of fuel tanks 17 for storing a fuel gas of the fuel cell 15; a dilution device 19 which is disposed at the vehicle rear relative to the fuel tanks 17, spaced apart from the fuel tanks 17 and dilutes the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell 15 with air; and a housing part 13 which is provided at the vehicle rear and houses the fuel cell 15, the fuel tanks 17, and the dilution device 19. The housing part 13 has a protection frame 53 provided between one of the fuel tanks 17 and the dilution device 19.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Fuel cell vehicles are known that can easily and inexpensively supply power from a fuel cell. These fuel cell vehicles have a passenger section at the front of the vehicle, a power section equipped with a battery and a drive unit and located behind the passenger section, and a fuel cell section equipped with a fuel tank, a fuel cell unit, and a current converter and generating power to supply to the battery. The fuel cell section is configured by arranging an upper unit equipped with the fuel cell unit and the current converter and a lower unit equipped with the fuel tank, and is located behind the passenger section. The fuel tank is filled with hydrogen gas as fuel gas. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-168886 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the fuel cell vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is no space between the rear end of the vehicle and the fuel tank. In the event of a rear-end collision in which the rear of the fuel cell vehicle collides with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a wall or pillar, the fuel tank is directly exposed to the impact of the rear-end collision. Therefore, there is room for improvement in fuel cell vehicles in terms of protecting the fuel tank from rear-end collisions.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell vehicle that can improve the protection of the fuel tank against the impact of a rear-end collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a fuel cell, a plurality of fuel tanks for storing fuel gas for the fuel cell, a dilution device arranged rearward of the vehicle from the plurality of fuel tanks and spaced apart from the plurality of fuel tanks, and diluting the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell with air, and a storage section provided at the rear of the vehicle for accommodating the fuel cell, the plurality of fuel tanks, and the dilution device, the storage section having a protective frame provided between one of the plurality of fuel tanks and the dilution device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention provides a fuel cell vehicle that can improve the protection of the fuel tank against the impact of a rear-end collision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of a storage section of the fuel cell vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the storage section of the fuel cell vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Cross section AA of Figure 2. [Figure 5] Cross section B-B of Figure 3. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the position of the dilution device in the fuel cell vehicle immediately after a rear-end collision according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A fuel cell vehicle according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that the same or corresponding components in the various figures are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of a fuel cell vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] In FIG. 1, the vehicle longitudinal direction D L indicates the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1, which coincides with the length direction of the vehicle 1. Also, the vehicle up-down direction D H indicates the up-down direction of the vehicle 1, and coincides with the height direction of the vehicle 1. This also applies to other figures described hereinafter.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1 , a fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes front wheels 3, rear wheels 5, a passenger section 7 on which a passenger sits, an operating section 9 operated by the passenger when driving, a main body 11 that houses drive system elements of the vehicle 1, and a storage section 13 that houses power system elements of the vehicle 1. The drive system elements of the vehicle 1 are specifically a motor serving as an electric motor that is the drive source of the vehicle 1, and its peripheral devices. The power system elements of the vehicle 1 are a so-called fuel cell system, specifically a fuel cell 15, a fuel tank 17, a dilution device 19 that is an associated mechanism, a fixing member 21 that is an associated member, and associated electrical components. Note that the fuel cell vehicle 1 may hereinafter be simply referred to as the vehicle 1.

[0013] Vehicle 1 is typically a single-seater vehicle. However, vehicle 1 may also be designed to accommodate two or more passengers. Furthermore, vehicle 1 is typically designed for use within a premises, does not have seats, and passengers ride in a standing position. However, vehicle 1 may also be designed to have seats so that passengers can ride in a seated position. Furthermore, vehicle 1 is typically a manually operated vehicle that is manually driven by a passenger. However, vehicle 1 may also be an autonomous vehicle that does not require manual driving by a passenger.

[0014] The front wheel 3 and the rear wheel 5 are provided one on each side. In this way, by adopting a four-wheel configuration, stability can be ensured when riding standing up. The configuration is not limited to four wheels, and the number of front wheels 3 and rear wheels 5 may be any appropriate number. For example, it is possible to configure a three-wheel configuration with two rear wheels 5 and one front wheel 3, or a two-wheel configuration with one front wheel 3 and one rear wheel 5. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front wheel 3 has a smaller diameter than the rear wheel 5, but this is not limiting, and both may have the same diameter, or the rear wheel 5 may have a smaller diameter than the front wheel 3.

[0015] The passenger section 7 is equipped with a floorboard 31. A passenger normally stands on the floorboard 31 and rides in the vehicle 1 facing forward. The front of the floorboard 31 is shielded by a cowl (leg shield) 33. A space S sandwiched between the cowl 33 and the storage section 13 on the front and rear sides forms the passenger riding space. The passenger section 7 may be equipped with a roof (not shown).

[0016] The operating unit 9 includes a handlebar 41 and a rearview mirror 43 for checking the rear. By operating the handlebar 41, the rider can move the vehicle 1 forward and backward and also change the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. The handlebar 41 is provided above the cowl 33. Therefore, the rider can grip and operate the handlebar 41 while standing on the floor board 31.

[0017] The main body 11 is provided behind the riding section 7 and incorporates drivetrain elements of the vehicle 1. As described above, the main body 11 incorporates a motor and its peripheral devices (not shown) as drivetrain elements, and is capable of transmitting rotational power of the motor to the rear wheels 5. That is, in this embodiment, the rear wheels 5 are the drive wheels of the vehicle 1, and the front wheels 3 are the driven wheels. However, it is also possible for the front wheels 3 to be drive wheels and the rear wheels 5 to be driven wheels. In this case, the rotational power of the motor provided in the main body 11 located behind the riding section 7 can be transmitted to the front wheels 3 via a power transmission mechanism, or the main body 11 itself can be disposed in front of the riding section 7, and the rotational power of the motor provided in the main body 11 in front of the riding section 7 can be transmitted to the front wheels 3.

[0018] The storage section 13 and the electric power system elements of the vehicle 1 stored in the storage section 13 will be described in detail below.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view of the accommodation section 13 of the fuel cell vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] 3 is a rear view of the accommodation section 13 of the fuel cell vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. W indicates the left-right direction of the vehicle 1, which coincides with the width direction of the vehicle 1. This also applies to other figures described hereinafter.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the position of the dilution device 19 immediately after a rear-end collision in the fuel cell vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] 5, shows the position of the dilution device 19 when a rear-end collision occurs with the vehicle 1. For ease of explanation, the fuel cell system and the configuration of a fuel gas supply line, pressure reducing valve, and the like that are normally provided in a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system as a power source are not shown in FIGS.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 in addition to FIG. 1 , the storage section 13 is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1, more specifically, at the rear of the passenger section 7 and above the main body section 11. The storage section 13 is shaped like a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The storage section 13 has a plurality of frames 51 that form its skeleton. However, instead of the plurality of frames 51, the storage section 13 may be configured, for example, in the form of an integrally molded structure. The storage section 13 has a modular structure that is fixed above the main body section 11 by connecting members (not shown) such as screws or bolts. However, this is not limited to this, and the storage section 13 may be configured, for example, in the form of an integral structure with the main body section 11.

[0026] The plurality of frames 51 are, for example, rectangular cylindrical members. The material of the plurality of frames 51 is, for example, steel or aluminum (including aluminum alloy). Of the plurality of frames 51, two frames that are perpendicular to each other are joined together by joining members such as screws or bolts (not shown), or by welding.

[0027] As power system elements accommodated in the accommodation section 13, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a fuel cell 15, multiple fuel tanks 17, a dilution device 19 which is an associated mechanism, a fixing member 21 which is an associated member, and associated electrical components (not shown).

[0028] The fuel cell 15 is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The electricity generated in the fuel cell 15 is supplied to the motor, causing the motor to operate. The fuel cell 15 is disposed rearward of the vehicle from the plurality of fuel tanks 17 and spaced apart from the plurality of fuel tanks 17. The fuel cell 15 is also disposed above the vehicle from the dilution device 19 and spaced apart from the dilution device 19. The fuel cell 15 is disposed directly above the dilution device 19.

[0029] The fuel tank 17 stores fuel gas for the fuel cell 15. The fuel gas is hydrogen gas. The fuel gas is stored in the fuel tank 17 in a high-pressure state compressed to, for example, 70 megapascals (MPa). In this embodiment, three fuel tanks 17 are provided, and fuel gas can be supplied from each of these multiple fuel tanks 17 to the fuel cell 15. The fuel cell 15 receives a supply of hydrogen gas as fuel gas from the fuel tank 17, and also receives a supply of oxygen contained in atmospheric air as an oxidant gas to react with the hydrogen.

[0030] The multiple fuel tanks 17 are usually substantially cylindrical in shape. The multiple fuel tanks 17 are arranged one above the other inside the housing portion 13. The multiple fuel tanks 17 are also arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the multiple fuel tanks 17 coincides with the vehicle width direction. Each fuel tank 17 is fixed, for example, on a plate 55 that is provided inside the housing portion 13 and extends perpendicular to the vehicle height direction.

[0031] In order to maintain the output of the fuel cell 15, the dilution device 19 collects the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell 15, dilutes it with atmospheric air, and discharges it to the outside of the vehicle 1 from the rear of the vehicle. The fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell 15 is unburned fuel gas (unburned hydrogen) that is discharged without contributing to power generation in the fuel cell 15, and contains impurities that reduce the output of the fuel cell 15. The dilution device 19 is typically made of at least one of resin and metal. The dilution device 19 is disposed rearward of the vehicle relative to the multiple fuel tanks 17 and spaced apart from the multiple fuel tanks 17. The dilution device 19 is fixed, for example, by connecting members (not shown) such as screws or bolts to a plate 57 provided inside the housing section 13 and extending perpendicular to the vehicle height direction.

[0032] The dilution device 19 has a contact portion 61 extending in the vehicle width direction, and a discharge portion 63 extending from the contact portion 61 toward the rear of the vehicle and including a rear end 19b of the dilution device 19.

[0033] The contact unit 61 has the following configuration (not shown) and dilutes the collected hydrogen gas with air. Specifically, the contact unit 61 has an air inlet, a fan provided inside the contact unit 61 for drawing in atmospheric air through the air inlet, and a fuel gas inlet to which one end of a pipe connecting the fuel cell 15 and the contact unit 61 is connected. The contact unit 61 also includes the front end 19a of the dilution device 19. In other words, the front end 61a of the contact unit 61 is the front end 19a of the dilution device 19. The contact unit 61 and the discharge unit 63 preferably overlap when viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

[0034] The discharge section 63 discharges hydrogen gas, which is fuel gas diluted in the contact section 61, to the rear of the vehicle. A rear end 63b of the discharge section 63 is usually the portion that comes into contact with a colliding object during a rear-end collision of the vehicle 1. If the colliding object is a vertical wall, the rear end 63b of the discharge section 63 is the portion of the power system elements housed in the housing section 13 that comes into contact with the wall first. The rear end 63b of the discharge section 63 is the rear end 19b of the dilution device 19. The discharge section 63 has a flow path section 71 through which diluted hydrogen gas flows, and an exhaust port section 73 that discharges diluted hydrogen gas to the outside and includes the rear end 19b of the dilution device 19.

[0035] The plurality of fixing members 21 are, for example, band-like members. One end of each fixing member 21 is attached to a plate 55 below the fuel tank 17, extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle so as to follow at least a portion of the outer periphery of the fuel tank 17, and has the other end attached to the plate 55 to fix the fuel tank 17 to the plate 55.

[0036] When the vehicle 1 collides from behind with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a wall or pillar, the impact of the collision typically occurs at at least a part of the rear end of the vehicle 1, which is the accommodation unit 13. In this case, the dilution device 19 receives the impact of the rear collision at its rear end 19b and is pushed forward of the vehicle. Therefore, if there is nothing between the dilution device 19 and the fuel tank 17 to stop the dilution device 19 being pushed forward by the rear collision, the dilution device 19 may collide with the fuel tank 17, potentially damaging the fuel tank 17.

[0037] Therefore, the storage unit 13 has a protective frame 53 provided between one of the plurality of fuel tanks 17 and the dilution device 19 .

[0038] The protective frame 53 is, for example, a rectangular cylindrical member. The multiple frames 51 are made of, for example, steel or aluminum (including aluminum alloy). Furthermore, in order to increase the mechanical strength, the protective frame 53 may have, for example, a rectangular cylindrical member, a plurality of ribs or a plurality of partition walls inside. Furthermore, in order to increase the mechanical strength, the protective frame 53 may be made of steel that has been subjected to heat treatment such as normalizing. The protective frame 53 may be a member separate from the multiple frames 51, or the multiple frames 51 may include the protective frame 53.

[0039] When the vehicle 1 collides from behind with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a wall or pillar, the dilution device 19 located at the rear of the vehicle is pushed out by the impact of the rear collision and moves forward of the vehicle (see FIG. 6). The protective frame 53 comes into contact with the dilution device 19 moving forward of the vehicle and blocks the dilution device 19 from moving further forward of the vehicle. In other words, the protective frame 53 prevents the dilution device 19, which has moved forward of the vehicle due to the impact of the rear collision, from colliding with the fuel tank 17. In other words, the protective frame 53 absorbs the impact of the rear collision together with the dilution device 19, thereby improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of the rear collision.

[0040] Unless otherwise specified, the expression "rear-end collision" hereafter means that the vehicle 1 collides from the rear with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a wall or a pillar. Furthermore, when the dilution device 19 moves to the position shown in Fig. 6, the frame 51 disposed at the rear of the housing unit 13 and not directly supporting the dilution device 19 or the fuel tank 17 may be deformed, but illustrations of the deformation of the dilution device 19 and the frame 51 are omitted.

[0041] The rear end 19b of the dilution device 19 may extend rearward from the housing portion 13. This allows the dilution device 19 to more reliably receive the impact of the rear-end collision in the event of a rear-end collision, and the protective frame 53 absorbs the impact of the rear-end collision together with the dilution device 19. In other words, the protective frame 53 cooperates with the dilution device 19 to further improve the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0042] The rear end 19b of the dilution device 19 may be located further rearward of the vehicle than the rear end 15b of the fuel cell 15. In this way, in the event of a rear-end collision, the dilution device 19 receives the impact of the rear-end collision before the fuel cell 15. In other words, the dilution device 19 prevents the fuel cell 15 from being moved forward in the vehicle and colliding with the fuel tank 17 due to the impact of the rear-end collision. In other words, the dilution device 19 further improves the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of the rear-end collision.

[0043] The length dimension of the contact portion 61 in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length dimension of the discharge portion 63 in the vehicle width direction, and it is preferable that the protective frame 53 extending in the vehicle width direction and the contact portion 61 are positioned so as to overlap each other in a rear view of the vehicle. This ensures that the impact received by the discharge portion 63 in a rear collision is reliably transmitted to the contact portion 61. When the contact portion 61 moves forward of the vehicle as the dilution device 19 moves forward of the vehicle due to the impact of the rear collision and comes into contact with the protective frame 53, the contact portion 61 is more likely to transmit the impact received from the discharge portion 63 to the protective frame 53. In other words, the protective frame 53 is more likely to receive the impact of the rear collision received by the dilution device 19, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of the rear collision.

[0044] Furthermore, it is preferable that the length dimension of the protective frame 53 in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length dimension of the contact portion 61 in the vehicle width direction. In this way, the entire protective frame 53 extending in the vehicle width direction absorbs the impact of a rear-end collision that the dilution device 19 receives, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0045] Furthermore, it is preferable that the front end 61a of the contact portion 61 is parallel to the rear end 53b of the protective frame 53 in a plan view of the vehicle. By doing so, when the contact portion 61 comes into contact with the protective frame 53 during a rear-end collision, the impact of the rear-end collision is more reliably transmitted to a wide area of ​​the protective frame 53 between the front end 61a of the contact portion 61 and the rear end 53b of the protective frame 53. In other words, the protective frame 53 comes into contact with the contact portion 61 more reliably and receives the impact of the rear-end collision, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against rear-end collisions.

[0046] Furthermore, it is preferable that the contact portion 61 and the discharge portion 63 are arranged so as to form a substantial T-shape in a plan view of the vehicle. By doing so, in the event of a rear-end collision, the impact received by the discharge portion 63 spreads from approximately the center of the contact portion 61 in the vehicle width direction to the entire contact portion 61 in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the contact portion 61 more reliably receives the impact of a rear-end collision from the discharge portion 63 and transmits it to the protective frame 53. Therefore, the protective frame 53 more reliably receives the impact of a rear-end collision from the contact portion 61, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0047] At least one of the multiple fixing members 21 is preferably provided in a position that overlaps with the contact portion 61 when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. In this way, when the contact portion 61 moves toward the front of the vehicle due to the impact of the rear collision during a rear-end collision, the fixing member 21 shares part of the impact that the protective frame 53 receives from the contact portion 61. In other words, both the protective frame 53 and the fixing member 21 absorb the impact during a rear-end collision, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact during a rear-end collision.

[0048] It is preferable that the length of the exhaust port portion 73 in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length of the flow path portion 71 in the vehicle width direction, and that the height of the exhaust port portion 73 in the vehicle height direction is greater than the height of the flow path portion 71 in the vehicle height direction. By doing so, the discharge portion 63 of the dilution device 19 increases the size of the exhaust port portion 73 including the rear end 63b, making it more susceptible to shocks in a rear-end collision at the rear of the vehicle. In other words, the dilution device 19 transmits more of the shock in a rear-end collision to the protective frame 53. Therefore, the protective frame 53 absorbs more of the shock in a rear-end collision from the dilution device 19, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against shocks in a rear-end collision.

[0049] As described above, the fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 13 having a protective frame 53 disposed between one of the multiple fuel tanks 17 and the dilution device 19. When the fuel cell vehicle 1 collides from behind with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a wall or pillar, the dilution device 19 located at the rear of the vehicle is pushed forward by the impact of the rear collision and moves toward the front of the vehicle. The protective frame 53 comes into contact with the dilution device 19 moving toward the front of the vehicle and blocks it. Therefore, even if there is insufficient space between the rear end of the vehicle and the fuel tank 17, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can prevent the dilution device 19 from passing over the protective frame 53 and colliding with the fuel tank 17 due to the impact of the rear collision. In other words, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can improve the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear collision.

[0050] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a dilution device 19 having a rear end 19b extending rearward from the accommodation section 13. Therefore, in the event of a rear-end collision, the fuel cell vehicle 1 more reliably allows the dilution device 19 to receive the impact of the rear-end collision, and the impact of the rear-end collision is received by the protective frame 53 along with the dilution device 19. Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can further improve the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0051] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a dilution device 19 having a rear end 19b located rearward of the rear end 15b of the fuel cell 15. Therefore, in the event of a rear-end collision, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can have the dilution device 19 receive the impact of the rear-end collision before the fuel cell 15, thereby preventing the fuel cell 15 from colliding with the fuel tank 17. In other words, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can further improve the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0052] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a dilution device 19 having a contact portion 61 and a discharge portion 63 that satisfy the following conditions, and a protective frame 53. That is, the length dimension of the contact portion 61 in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length dimension of the discharge portion 63 in the vehicle width direction, and the protective frame 53 extending in the vehicle width direction and the contact portion 61 are arranged in a position where they overlap each other when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can more easily absorb the impact of a rear-end collision on the dilution device 19 with the protective frame 53, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0053] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes a protective frame 53 whose length in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length in the vehicle width direction of the contact portion 61. Therefore, in the fuel cell vehicle 1, the impact of a rear-end collision that the dilution device 19 receives is absorbed by the entire protective frame 53 extending in the vehicle width direction, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0054] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a contact portion 61 having a front end 61a that is parallel to the rear end 53b of the protective frame 53 in a plan view of the vehicle. Therefore, in the event of a rear-end collision, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can more reliably bring the contact portion 61 into contact with the protective frame 53, causing the impact of the rear-end collision to be transmitted to and absorbed by the protective frame 53, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of the rear-end collision.

[0055] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a dilution device 19 having a contact portion 61 and a discharge portion 63 that are arranged in a substantially T-shape when viewed from above the vehicle. As a result, in the event of a rear-end collision, the fuel cell vehicle 1 is able to more reliably transmit the impact of the rear-end collision from the discharge portion 63 to the contact portion 61, and further transmit and absorb the impact from the contact portion 61 to the protective frame 53, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of the rear-end collision.

[0056] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of fixing members 21, including at least one fixing member 21 that is provided in a position that overlaps the contact portion 61 when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can have both the protective frame 53 and the fixing members 21 absorb the impact during a rear-end collision, further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact during a rear-end collision.

[0057] The fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a discharge section 63 having a flow path section 71 and an exhaust port section 73 that satisfy the following conditions: the length dimension of the exhaust port section 73 in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length dimension of the flow path section 71 in the vehicle width direction, and the height dimension of the exhaust port section 73 in the vehicle height direction is greater than the height dimension of the flow path section 71 in the vehicle height direction. Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle 1 can absorb more of the impact of a rear-end collision caused by the dilution device 19 with the protective frame 53, thereby further improving the protection of the fuel tank 17 against the impact of a rear-end collision.

[0058] Therefore, the fuel cell vehicle 1 according to this embodiment can improve the protection of the fuel tank 17 against rear-end collisions.

[0059] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1... fuel cell vehicle (vehicle), 3... front wheel, 5... rear wheel, 7... passenger area, 9... operating section, 11... main body, 13... storage section, 15... fuel cell, 17... fuel tank, 19... dilution device, 19a, 61a... front end, 15b, 19b, 53b, 63b... rear end, 21... fixing member, 31... floor board, 33... cowl, 41... handlebar, 43... rearview mirror, 51... frame, 53... protective frame, 55, 57... plate, 61... contact part, 63... discharge part, 71... flow path part, 73... exhaust port part, S... passenger space.

Claims

1. A fuel cell; a plurality of fuel tanks for storing fuel gas for the fuel cell; a dilution device that is disposed rearward of the vehicle from the plurality of fuel tanks and spaced apart from the plurality of fuel tanks, and that dilutes the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell with air; a housing section provided at a rear of the vehicle and configured to house the fuel cell, the plurality of fuel tanks, and the dilution device; The housing portion includes a protective frame provided between one of the plurality of fuel tanks and the dilution device.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a rear end of the dilution device extends from the housing portion toward the rear of the vehicle.

3. 2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a rear end of the dilution device is located rearward of a rear end of the fuel cell.

4. The dilution device has a contact portion extending in a vehicle width direction and a discharge portion extending from the contact portion toward the rear of the vehicle and including a rear end of the dilution device, a length dimension of the contact portion in the vehicle width direction is greater than a length dimension of the discharge portion in the vehicle width direction, The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the protective frame extending in the vehicle width direction and the contact portion are arranged in positions that overlap each other when viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

5. 5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the protective frame has a length dimension in the vehicle width direction that is greater than the length dimension in the vehicle width direction of the contact portion.

6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein a front end of the contact portion is parallel to a rear end of the protection frame in a plan view of the vehicle.

7. 7. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the contact portion and the discharge portion are arranged to form a substantial T-shape in a plan view of the vehicle.

8. a plurality of fixing members that are housed in the housing portion and extend in the vehicle front-rear direction along at least a portion of the outer periphery of each of the fuel tanks to fix each of the fuel tanks; 5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of fixing members is provided at a position overlapping the contact portion when viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

9. the discharge section has a flow path section through which the diluted fuel gas flows and an exhaust port section including the rear end of the dilution device, 5. The fuel cell vehicle of claim 4, wherein the length dimension of the exhaust port portion in the vehicle width direction is greater than the length dimension of the flow path portion in the vehicle width direction, and the height dimension of the exhaust port portion in the vehicle height direction is greater than the height dimension of the flow path portion in the vehicle height direction.

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