Front structure of electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide a front structure of an electric vehicle capable of protecting a connector of a power cable in a head-on collision by a space-saving, lightweight and low-cost structure.SOLUTION: The front structure 1 includes a driving motor unit 10 and a power supply unit 20 that are mounted in a front portion of the electric vehicle, a power cable 40 that electrically connects the units to each other, and a compressor bracket 50 for fixing an electric compressor 30 to one side surface portion of the driving motor unit 10 in the vehicle width direction. The motor side connector 41 of the power cable 40 is disposed between the driving motor unit 10 and the electric compressor 30 in a top view, and the compressor bracket 50 is disposed so as to cover the motor side connector 41 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction in a top view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a front structure of an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In electric vehicles, a structure is known in which various units such as a drive motor unit and a power supply unit are mounted in a motor room located at the front of the vehicle. As a conventional technique related to the front structure of an electric vehicle, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure for mounting electrical equipment in a front compartment equivalent to the motor room.

[0003] In the mounting structure of Patent Document 1, the connector of a power cable electrically connecting an electrical device fixed on a structure in the front compartment to an on-board power source is attached to the rear surface of the electrical device facing the rear of the vehicle. A protector is attached to the rear of the electrical device to cover the connector, ensuring a gap between the connector and the protector. The rear surface of the electrical device is provided with a protrusion that protrudes rearward and whose tip surface abuts against the protector. The protrusion and another structure behind the connector are arranged on a straight line extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. When the vehicle crashes head-on and the power converter rolls backward, the impact of the collision with the other structure is transmitted to the protrusion via the protector and dispersed throughout the entire housing of the power converter. This reduces deformation of the protector and protects the connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-115892 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses dedicated parts (protector and protrusions) to protect the power cable connector, and the parts cover the entire connector. This requires space around the connector and can be a factor in increasing weight and cost, leaving room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of the above points, and aims to provide a front structure for an electric vehicle that can protect a power cable connector in the event of a frontal collision with a space-saving, lightweight, and low-cost structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a front structure for an electric vehicle including a drive motor unit mounted on a front portion of the electric vehicle, a power cable electrically connecting the drive motor unit to a power supply unit mounted on the electric vehicle, and a bracket for fixing an on-board unit other than the drive motor unit and the power supply unit to one side surface of the drive motor unit in the vehicle width direction. In this front structure, the power cable has a connector connected to the one side surface of the drive motor unit, the connector being disposed between the drive motor unit and the on-board unit in a top view, and the bracket being disposed so as to cover the connector from the outer side in the vehicle width direction in a top view. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the front structure for an electric vehicle of the present invention, the connector of the power cable can be protected in the event of a frontal collision with a space-saving, lightweight, and low-cost structure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a front structure of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the front structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the front structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the front structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a right side view showing a state in which the electric compressor and the steering shaft bracket of FIG. 4 have been removed. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the compressor bracket in the embodiment, as viewed from above the vehicle diagonally left. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the compressor bracket in the embodiment, as viewed from below and diagonally to the right of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing a front structure 1 of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention. In each of the figures described below, the arrow F direction indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the arrow U direction indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the arrow R direction and the arrow L direction indicate the right and left when looking at the front of the vehicle from inside the vehicle cabin.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a front structure 1 according to this embodiment, seen from diagonally to the right in front of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the front structure 1 seen from above the vehicle, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the front structure 1 seen from the front of the vehicle. Figs. 4 and 5 are side views of the front structure 1 seen from the right of the vehicle, and Fig. 5 shows a state in which an electric compressor 30 and a steering shaft bracket 60, which will be described later in Fig. 4, have been removed.

[0012] 1 to 5, a front structure 1 according to this embodiment is applied as the internal structure of a motor room 100 arranged in the front of an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle is, for example, an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle that runs using a motor or a motor and an engine together. Below, an example will be described in which the front structure 1 according to this embodiment is applied as the internal structure of the motor room 100 of an electric vehicle, but the front structure according to the present invention can also be applied to electric vehicles other than electric vehicles in a similar manner.

[0013] The front structure 1 according to this embodiment includes a drive motor unit 10, a power supply unit 20, and an electric compressor 30 as various units mounted in a motor room 100. The drive motor unit 10 and the power supply unit 20 are electrically connected by a power cable 40. The electric compressor 30 is fixed to the drive motor unit 10 using a compressor bracket 50. The power supply unit 20 is shown by a dashed line only in FIG. 4 and is not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5. Furthermore, in FIGS. 1 to 4, the power cable that electrically connects the power supply unit 20 and the electric compressor 30 is also not shown. In this embodiment, the electric compressor 30 corresponds to the "on-vehicle unit" of the present invention, and the compressor bracket 50 corresponds to the "bracket" of the present invention.

[0014] Although not shown here, the drive motor unit 10 is an integrated unit that houses an inverter, motor, and transaxle in a common housing 11, and is also called an E-Axle. The inverter controls the power supplied from the power supply unit 20 via a power cable 40. The motor converts the power controlled by the inverter into rotational force. The transaxle appropriately reduces the rotation of the motor and transmits it to the axle. The drive motor unit 10 is located near the center of the vehicle width within the motor room 100 (Figure 1). The drive motor unit 10 is supported by a body frame located at the front of the vehicle via mounts such as vibration-isolating rubber.

[0015] The housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10 has a top surface 11A with a generally flat surface facing upward in the vehicle (FIGS. 1 to 5). The top surface 11A is formed in a generally trapezoidal shape with two sides extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle being generally parallel when viewed from above. A right side surface 11B and a left side surface 11C of the housing 11 extend downward from the right and left edges of the top surface 11A, respectively. A rear side surface 11D and a front side surface 11E of the housing 11 extend downward from the rear and front edges of the top surface 11A, respectively. In this embodiment, the right side surface 11B corresponds to "one side surface in the vehicle width direction" of the present invention, and the left side surface 11C corresponds to "the other side surface in the vehicle width direction" of the present invention.

[0016] The right side surface 11B of the housing 11 has an uneven surface (right side surface) that faces generally to the right of the vehicle (FIGS. 1 to 5). A receptacle 12 to which a motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 is connected is provided at a position toward the rear of the upper portion of the right side surface 11B, and a bolt hole (not shown) is provided for attaching the compressor bracket 50. The receptacle 12 protrudes from the surface of the right side surface 11B to the right of the vehicle and has a connection port facing toward the rear of the vehicle. The motor-side connector 41 provided at one end of the power cable 40 is inserted into the connection port of the receptacle 12 from the rear of the vehicle and detachably fixed thereto. In this embodiment, the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 corresponds to the "connector" of the present invention.

[0017] The left side surface 11C of the housing 11 has an uneven surface (left side surface) that bulges out to the left of the vehicle (FIGS. 1 to 3). In top view, the left side surface 11C has a generally triangular shape that widens to the left of the vehicle as it approaches the front of the vehicle (FIG. 2). In front view, the left side surface 11C has a generally trapezoidal shape with the central portion in the vehicle's vertical direction projecting further to the left of the vehicle than the upper and lower end portions (FIG. 3). The interior of the left side surface 11C mainly houses a transaxle. An axle coupling portion 13 to which the front wheel axle is coupled is provided at a position near the lower rear portion of the left side surface 11C (FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0018] The rear side surface portion 11D of the housing 11 has an inclined surface that faces diagonally toward the right and rear of the vehicle (FIGS. 2, 4, and 5). The rear side surface portion 11D is inclined toward the rear of the vehicle from a rear end portion 11B1 of the right side surface portion 11B toward the inside (left side) in the vehicle width direction, and extends to a rear end portion 11C1 of the left side surface portion 11C. The rear end portion 11C1 of the left side surface portion 11C and a rear end portion 52B of an extension portion 52 (described later) of the compressor bracket 50 protrude toward the rear of the vehicle relative to the inclined surface of the rear side surface portion 11D (FIG. 2). With this structure, a concave rear space S (the area surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 2) that is open toward the rear of the vehicle is defined by the rear end portion 11C1 and rear side surface portion 11D of the left side surface portion 11C of the housing 11 and the rear end portion 52B of the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50.

[0019] The front side surface 11E of the housing 11 has an uneven surface that faces generally toward the front of the vehicle (FIGS. 1 to 5). The front side surface 11E extends in the vehicle width direction from the front end portion of the right side surface 11B to the front end portion of the left side surface 11C. A lower surface 11F that extends in the vehicle width direction and the front-to-rear direction is formed continuously at the lower end portions of the right side surface 11B, left side surface 11C, rear side surface 11D, and front side surface 11E of the housing 11.

[0020] The electricity supply unit (ESU) 20 is a unit that integrates an on-board charger and a DC-DC converter, and has the function of charging and distributing power to the electric vehicle. The power supply unit 20 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown) installed in the electric vehicle. The power supply unit 20 is attached to a subframe 21 disposed above the drive motor unit 10 (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4). The subframe 21 is connected to a body frame disposed at the front of the vehicle. In other words, the power supply unit 20 is disposed above the vehicle relative to an upper surface 11A of the housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10. The power supply unit 20 is provided with a receptacle (not shown) into which a power supply connector 42 of a power cable 40 connected to the drive motor unit 10 is attached.

[0021] The electric compressor 30 is one of the devices used to operate the air conditioning system installed in an electric vehicle. Although not shown here, the electric compressor 30 is a unit that houses a compression mechanism that compresses the refrigerant of the air conditioning system, a motor that drives the compression mechanism, and an inverter that controls the power supply to the motor in a common housing. Electric power is supplied to the electric compressor 30 from the power supply unit 20 via a power cable (not shown) that is separate from the power cable 40 connected to the drive motor unit 10. The electric compressor 30 is fixed to the right side surface 11B of the housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10 using a compressor bracket 50 and multiple bolts B1 (FIGS. 1 to 4).

[0022] The compressor bracket 50 is fixed to the right side surface 11B of the housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10 at a location near the rear of the upper portion using multiple bolts B2 (Fig. 5). The compressor bracket 50 is positioned so as to cover the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 connected to the receptacle 12 of the drive motor unit 10 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction in top view (Figs. 2 and 5).

[0023] Here, an example of a specific structure of the compressor bracket 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the compressor bracket 50 as seen diagonally from above the vehicle left. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the compressor bracket as seen diagonally from below the vehicle right. The following describes the structure of the compressor bracket 50 when attached to the drive motor unit 10.

[0024] The compressor bracket 50 is a highly rigid cast member that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the right side surface 11B of the housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10. In top view, the compressor bracket 50 has an arch-shaped portion 51 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction (toward the right side of the vehicle), and an extension portion 52 that extends from the rear end of the arch-shaped portion 51 toward the rear of the vehicle (Fig. 2).

[0025] Arch-shaped portion 51 has a predetermined width in the vertical direction of the vehicle (height H in FIG. 6), and extends from the front end toward the rear of the vehicle while curving to the right side of the vehicle (outside in the vehicle width direction), then extends straight toward the rear of the vehicle, and then bends again to extend to the left side of the vehicle (inside in the vehicle width direction) (FIGS. 6 and 7). A plurality of extension portions 51A extending to the right side of the vehicle are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction on the upper portion of arch-shaped portion 51.

[0026] The extension portion 52 has the same vertical width (height H) as the arch-shaped portion 51 and extends from the left rear end portion of the arch-shaped portion 51 toward the rear of the vehicle (FIGS. 6 and 7). An inclined portion 52A is formed in the upper portion of the extension portion 52, widening toward the right side of the vehicle (outer side in the vehicle width direction). The inclined portion 52A is formed continuously from the upper rear end portion of the arch-shaped portion 51. The right end of the inclined portion 52A (outer side in the vehicle width direction) extends at an angle toward the left side of the vehicle (inner side in the vehicle width direction) as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle. In other words, the inclined portion 52A of the extension portion 52 has a substantially right-angled triangular shape in a bottom view, with its hypotenuse forming the right edge of the inclined portion 52A (FIG. 7).

[0027] A through-hole 53 penetrating in the vehicle width direction is provided in the front portion of each of the arch-shaped portion 51 and the extension portion 52 (FIGS. 6 and 7). A bolt B2 (FIG. 5) for fixing the compressor bracket 50 to the drive motor unit 10 is inserted into each through-hole 53. Furthermore, a bolt hole 54 penetrating in the vehicle width direction is provided in the middle portion and rear portion of the arch-shaped portion 51 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction (FIGS. 5 to 7). A bolt B1 (FIG. 4) for fixing two upper portions of the electric compressor 30 to the compressor bracket 50 fixed to the drive motor unit 10 is fastened into each bolt hole 54. A lower portion of the electric compressor 30 is fixed by the bolt B1 to a bolt hole 14 provided in the right side surface portion 11B of the housing 11 of the drive motor unit 10 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0028] When the compressor bracket 50 and the electric compressor 30 are attached to the drive motor unit 10, the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 extends further rearward in the vehicle than the rear end 30A of the electric compressor 30 (FIGS. 2 and 4). In addition, the rear end portion 52B of the extension 52 is located further rearward in the vehicle than the rear end portion 11B1 of the right side surface 11B of the drive motor unit 10 (FIG. 5). Furthermore, when the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 is attached to the receptacle 12 of the drive motor unit 10, the rear end portion 52B of the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 is located further rearward in the vehicle than the rear end 41A of the motor-side connector 41 (FIG. 5).

[0029] Additionally, the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50 is disposed so that its height in the vehicle up-down direction overlaps with that of the steering shaft bracket 60 disposed on the dash panel 200 of the electric vehicle in a right side view (FIGS. 4 and 5). In this embodiment, the rear end portion 52B of the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50 is located higher than the lower end portion 60A of the steering shaft bracket 60 in the vehicle up-down direction. In this positional relationship between the compressor bracket 50 and the steering shaft bracket 60, the rear end of the inclined portion 52A of the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50 is located to the left of the vehicle (inner in the vehicle width direction) than the front end portion 60B of the steering shaft bracket 60 in a top view (FIG. 2).

[0030] Dash panel 200 is a vehicle body member that separates motor room 100 of the electric vehicle from the passenger compartment (not shown), and extends in the vertical and width directions of the vehicle. The lower end of dash panel 200 is joined to the front end of floor panel 210, which forms the floor surface of the passenger compartment. A through-hole (not shown) through which steering shaft 71 is inserted is formed in a portion of dash panel 200 located in front of the driver's seat.

[0031] Steering shaft bracket 60 is joined by welding or the like from the motor compartment 100 side to the periphery of the through-hole of dash panel 200. Steering shaft bracket 60 has a shape that bulges out from the front surface of dash panel 200 toward the front of the vehicle so as to surround steering shaft 71 inserted through the through-hole of dash panel 200. The tip end (front end 60B) of the bulging surface of steering shaft bracket 60 is located to the right of the vehicle (outer in the vehicle width direction) than the rear end of inclined portion 52A of compressor bracket 50. Steering shaft bracket 60 is a highly rigid component that supports steering mechanism 70 (FIGS. 1 to 5) including steering shaft 71.

[0032] The rigidity of the compressor bracket 50 described above is preferably equal to or greater than the rigidity of the steering shaft bracket 60. This makes it possible for the compressor bracket 50 to reliably protect the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 in the event of a frontal collision.

[0033] In the steering mechanism 70, the steering torque of a steering wheel (not shown) that is turned by the driver of the electric vehicle is transmitted to a pinion gear (not shown) via a steering shaft 71. The portion of the steering shaft 71 that is located in the motor room 100 and the pinion gear are housed inside a steering shaft bracket 60 and a shaft cover 72. The rotational motion of the pinion gear is converted into the linear motion of a rack bar (not shown) housed in a rack case 73, and the steering angle of the left and right front wheels (not shown) that are connected to both ends of the rack bar via tie rods 74 is changed. Note that this embodiment shows an example of a right-hand drive specification in which the driver's seat is located on the front right side of the vehicle interior.

[0034] Next, the operation of the front structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described. When an electric vehicle to which the above-described front structure 1 is applied collides with an object in front of the vehicle (head-on collision), the impact of the collision causes the body frame forming the motor room 100 to deform and collapse toward the rear of the vehicle. The drive motor unit 10, subframe 21, and other components are connected to the body frame. Therefore, the impact of a frontal collision may cause the drive motor unit 10 and power supply unit 20 to move toward the rear of the vehicle. When the drive motor unit 10 moves backward, the electric compressor 30 fixed to its right side surface 11B via the compressor bracket 50 and the power cable 40 connected to the receptacle 12 of the drive motor unit 10 also move backward together with the drive motor unit 10.

[0035] A steering shaft bracket 60 disposed on the dash panel 200 is located behind the electric compressor 30, compressor bracket 50, and motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40. As a result, as the drive motor unit 10 moves backward, the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50, which extends further rearward than the rear end 30A of the electric compressor 30, comes into contact with the steering shaft bracket 60.

[0036] At this time, the rear end of the inclined portion 52A of the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 is positioned offset to the left side of the vehicle (inward in the vehicle width direction) with respect to the front end 60B of the steering shaft bracket 60. As a result, the vehicle right edge of the inclined portion 52A of the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 comes into contact with the bulging surface on the left side of the vehicle of the steering shaft bracket 60. As a result, relative to the compressor bracket 50 moving backward together with the drive motor unit 10, the steering shaft bracket 60 is guided along the vehicle right edge of the inclined portion 52A to the right side of the vehicle (outward in the vehicle width direction) of the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40.

[0037] When the drive motor unit 10 is further retracted and the rear end portion 11C1 of the left side surface portion 11C of the drive motor unit 10 approaches the dash panel 200, the rear end portion 11C1 of the left side surface portion 11C and the rear end portion 52B of the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50 define a rear space S between the rear side surface portion 11D of the drive motor unit 10 and the dash panel 200. The power cable 40 is routed inside the defined rear space S.

[0038] Next, the effects of the front structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, in the front structure 1 according to this embodiment, the compressor bracket 50 is arranged to cover, from the right side of the vehicle (outside in the vehicle width direction) the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 that is arranged between the drive motor unit 10 and the electric compressor 30, in a top view. With this structure, the periphery of the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 is protected by the compressor bracket 50, which has high rigidity and strength and is capable of holding the electric compressor 30 on the right side surface portion 11B of the drive motor unit 10. This eliminates the need to provide a dedicated part for connector protection as in the conventional structure described above, making it possible to protect the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 in the event of a frontal collision with a space-saving, lightweight, and low-cost structure.

[0039] Furthermore, in the front structure 1 according to this embodiment, the compressor bracket 50 has an extension 52 that extends further rearward than the rear end 30A of the electric compressor 30, and a rear end portion 52B of the extension 52 is located further rearward than the rear end 41A of the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40. With this structure, if the drive motor unit 10 moves backward during a frontal collision, the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 will come into contact with a component disposed on the dash panel 200, thereby making it possible to protect both the electric compressor 30 and the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40 from the component.

[0040] Furthermore, in the front structure 1 according to this embodiment, the extension 52 of the compressor bracket 50 has an inclined portion 52A that extends inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle, and the rear end of the inclined portion 52A is located inward in the vehicle width direction from the front end 60B of the steering shaft bracket 60 disposed on the dash panel 200 in a top view. With this structure, if the drive motor unit 10 moves backward during a frontal collision, the inclined portion 52A of the compressor bracket 50 can guide the steering shaft bracket 60 to the right of the vehicle (outer in the vehicle width direction) than the motor-side connector 41 of the power cable 40. This makes it possible to reliably prevent interference between the steering shaft bracket 60 and the motor-side connector 41.

[0041] Additionally, in the front structure 1 according to this embodiment, a rear space S is formed that is partitioned by the rear end portion 11C1 and rear side surface portion 11D of the left side surface portion 11C of the drive motor unit 10 and the rear end portion 52B of the extension portion 52 of the compressor bracket 50. With this structure, if the drive motor unit 10 moves further backward during a frontal collision, the power cable 40 can be routed inside the rear space S that is secured between the rear side surface portion 11D of the drive motor unit 10 and the dash panel 200, thereby making it possible to avoid breakage or damage to the power cable 40.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the electric compressor 30 is fixed to the right side surface 11B of the drive motor unit 10 via the compressor bracket 50. However, the structure of the present invention is also effective in cases in which an in-vehicle unit other than the electric compressor 30 is fixed to the side surface (right side surface 11B or left side surface 11C) of the drive motor unit 10 in the vehicle width direction using a bracket.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the steering shaft bracket 60 disposed on the dash panel 200 is located behind the electric compressor 30 and the compressor bracket 50. However, even if a component other than the steering shaft bracket 60 is disposed on the dash panel 200 and located behind the electric compressor 30 and the compressor bracket 50, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as in the above-described embodiment.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the power supply unit 20 is disposed above the drive motor unit 10 in the motor room 100. However, the location of the power supply unit 20 is not limited to the above example, and for example, the power supply unit 20 mounted outside the motor room 100 may be connected to the drive motor unit 10 via the power cable 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1...Front structure 10...Drive motor unit 11. Housing 11B...Right side portion (one side portion in the vehicle width direction) 11C...Left side (the other side in the vehicle width direction) 11D…Rear side part 12...Receptacle 13...Axle joint 20...Power supply unit 21...Subframe 30...Electric compressor (vehicle unit) 30A…Rear end 40...Power cable 41...Motor side connector (connector) 41A…Rear end 42...Power supply connector 50...Compressor bracket (bracket) 51...Arch-shaped portion 51A…extension part 52…Stretching part 52A…Slanted shape part 52B…Rear end part 53...Through hole 54...Bolt hole 60...Steering shaft bracket 60A…lower end 60B…Front end 70...Steering mechanism 71...Steering shaft 72...Shaft cover 73...Rack case 74...Tie rod 100...Motor room 200...Dash panel 210...Floor panel S...Rear space

Claims

1. a drive motor unit mounted on the front of the electric vehicle; a power cable that electrically connects a power supply unit mounted on the electric vehicle and the drive motor unit; a bracket for fixing an on-board unit, different from the drive motor unit and the power supply unit, to one side surface of the drive motor unit in a vehicle width direction, the power cable has a connector that is connected to the one side surface portion of the drive motor unit, and the connector is disposed between the drive motor unit and the on-vehicle unit in a top view, The front structure of an electric vehicle, wherein the bracket is arranged so as to cover the connector from the outer side in the vehicle width direction when viewed from above.

2. 2. The front structure of an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bracket has an extension portion that extends rearward of the vehicle beyond the rear end of the vehicle-mounted unit, and the rear end portion of the extension portion is positioned rearward of the vehicle beyond the rear end of the connector.

3. 3. The front structure of an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the extension portion has an inclined portion that extends inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle, and a rear end of the inclined portion is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than a front end of a steering shaft bracket arranged on a dash panel of the electric vehicle in a top view.

4. a rear end portion of the other side surface of the drive motor unit in the vehicle width direction and a rear end portion of the extension portion of the bracket protrude toward the rear of the vehicle beyond the rear side surface of the drive motor unit, a rear space portion having a recessed shape that is open toward the rear of the vehicle and is partitioned by a rear end portion of the other side surface portion and the rear side surface portion of the drive motor unit and a rear end portion of the extension portion of the bracket, 3. The front structure of an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the power cable is configured so as to be routed inside the rear space portion in a top view.

5. 2. The front structure of an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the on-board unit is an electric compressor for an air conditioning system mounted on the electric vehicle.

Images