Ultra-compact electric car with three wheels optimally arranged for efficient use of space and variants with four, five and more wheels

Abstract

The invention relates to an ultra-compact electric car design that does not have a hood or trunk and that takes up less space than conventional electric cars, saving space and materials and reducing consumption. Different versions are provided, starting with a version referred to as the VO version that provides a clearer picture of the usefulness of this patent. The VO version includes a single front wheel in the space intended for the legs of the front occupants, and the rear wheels are arranged beneath the rear seats, such that space is maximised. The motor and battery are strategically located to optimise space and load distribution and, therefore, stability. For example, the VO version, with a length, width and height of 1.5m, can transport up to five passengers, with the option of replacing the passengers with cargo.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Ultra-compact electric car with 3 wheels optimally arranged for space utilization and variants with 4, 5 and more wheels

[0003] TECHNICAL SECTOR

[0004] Automotive

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Current electric cars are models that adapt the designs of combustion engine cars to run on electricity. This patent proposes creating an electric car that optimizes existing electric car technology, making it suitable for today's society.

[0007] So, combustion engine cars are heavy and large because they could be, but they also had the disadvantage of being more complicated to manufacture and maintain. Electric motor technology allows for simpler cars to be built, while also making it possible to build a version with smaller overall dimensions without reducing the number of seats, which is the goal of this version.

[0008] EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] This invention is an adaptation of a mini electric car in such a way that there is no hood or trunk and the space is smaller and used more efficiently.

[0010] Different versions are offered, based on a version called VO that offers a clearer view of the usefulness of this patent.

[0011] In this used version, there is a single front wheel between the front seats, and the rear wheels are located beneath the rear seats, maximizing space utilization. The battery is arranged in a triangular shape, with the three wheels at its points. This design, due to the weight of electric batteries, allows the vehicle's center of gravity to be positioned optimally, distributing the weight evenly among the three wheels.

[0012] In both VO and other versions, the motor would be directly coupled to one of the wheels and the rotation could be transmitted to the other (or others) by means of a common axle to a pair of wheels or by means of other transmission elements, but what is considered preferable here is that the traction is only in the rear pair.

[0013] As an example, the characteristics of this model are compared with a best-selling and most compact conventional electric car:

[0014] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] To complement the description being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0016] • VO: ideal version. 3 wheels, 5 passengers, triangular load.

[0017] • V1: 1 passenger, preferred dimensions of 1mx1m.

[0018] • V2: 2 passengers, preferred dimensions of 1.5m wide and 1m-1.5m long.

[0019] • V3: 3-wheeled, 5-passenger version with similar legroom in front and rear seats. This reduces the front space needed for pedals or controls when not required.

[0020] • V3B: version with more default legroom in the front seats than in the rear. While there is a preferred space of approximately 0.75m in front of the front seats, there would be a preferred space of approximately 0.25m in the rear, which could be increased or decreased depending on the size of the passengers or whether cargo is being carried instead of passengers.

[0021] • V3C: raised rear seats, in case it is considered better for the purpose of distributing battery space, foot space, loads, weights, driver, passengers, etc.

[0022] • V3D: version with a wheel in the middle, for greater safety and stability.

[0023] • V5: 5-wheeled version, pentagonal in shape. 5 passengers in the basic version, but could accommodate 8 with a 2+3+3 seating configuration. • V6: 4-wheeled version, 6 seats.

[0024] • V6B: 4-wheel version, 6 seats, with raised rear seats.

[0025] • V8: 5-wheel version like the V5 but with capacity for 8 passengers, with a 2+3+3 seating configuration.

[0026] • V8B: as in V8 but with all seats facing forward.

[0027] • V9: 4-wheel version, 9 seats.

[0028] • V9B: 4-wheel version, 9 seats, but with all seats facing forward.

[0029] • V11: 5-wheeled version, 11 passengers.

[0030] • V12 12-seater version.

[0031] • V12B: 12-seater version but with all seats facing forward.

[0032] All versions can be expanded with more rows of seats, for example, the 12-seat version by adding 3 more seats would be 15 seats, or by adding 6 more either in the forward or reverse direction.

[0033] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0034] The main limitation that is solved with this patent is that the space of the front wheels is eliminated because in this patent only one front wheel is left, with a front seat on each side, so that the traditional space of the nose of combustion cars is eliminated, allowing cars to be manufactured that are about 1 meter shorter without reducing the number of seats.

[0035] This, of course, raises doubts about the safety of a 3-wheeled vehicle compared to a 4-wheeled one, but the following counterargument can be made:

[0036] 1) That there are already vehicles not with 3 wheels, but with 2 wheels circulating on the roads.

[0037] 2) The fact that in electric vehicles the heaviest component is the batteries instead of the motor, and that this battery is arranged along the floor of the car, makes the center of gravity lower and therefore safer even if the vehicle had 3 wheels.

[0038] 3) The gyroscopic effect allows for greater balance than one might initially think; the gyroscopic effect is also considerable in a 3-wheeled car, not just in a 2-wheeled vehicle.

[0039] 4) Since it is normally occupied by one or two people, seated on either side of the front wheel, one might think that the weight would shift further forward and that the occupants would be more vulnerable in a collision. However, advances in vehicle body materials allow for stronger and more malleable alloys, improving overall safety. Furthermore, the battery can be distributed in two or more sections along the length of the vehicle as needed, so that the center of gravity is optimally positioned to counterbalance the weight of the occupants, depending on the typical number of passengers.

[0040] 5) An electric vehicle is more efficient at lower speeds, and the proposed car would be designed to operate at speeds up to 100 km / h, while current vehicles are designed for maximum speeds of around 120 km / h. Its use would be primarily urban or interurban on secondary roads or single-lane roads, less so on highways, although highway use is neither ruled out nor excluded. In any case, from a safety perspective, the force of an impact is directly proportional to the square of the speed, so driving at a lower speed, even by 20 km / h, significantly reduces the risk and increases safety.

[0041] 6) The driver can sit in the rear seats, not necessarily in the front ones.

[0042] 7) Advances in safety, such as automated driving or direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication, can provide additional safety to that already existing.

[0043] From an economic point of view, the following should be added:

[0044] 8) For long-distance journeys, which currently involves very occasional (almost residual) use in combustion engine cars, other means of transport could be used, such as the high-speed train, and having a car of these reduced proportions would even allow putting the car inside the train to travel long distances.

[0045] 9) The price of electric car batteries is the limiting factor for the widespread adoption of electric cars, not the price of electricity. Other limiting factors also exist, such as the availability of charging infrastructure. A smaller battery size would make electric vehicles more accessible, both in terms of purchase price and the reduction in weight, fuel consumption, and charging time.

[0046] 10) The average number of occupants per vehicle in Spain is 1.4. Therefore, it is more efficient to make a smaller car, which would not reduce the number of seats, remaining at 5 like a standard passenger car, thus allowing the same versatility. To address the need to carry luggage or cargo, the rear seats could be folded down or even removed entirely when necessary.

[0047] 11) In a vehicle configuration measuring 2 meters or more in length, all seats could be folded down to allow sleeping on top, with or without additional equipment. It could therefore be converted into a campervan as standard. The rear door could serve as an additional roof for recreational, leisure, or other uses (such as a removable shower, as is done in converted vans).

[0048] 12) Because the cars are smaller, they would fit better in spaces where they currently cannot, and charging possibilities would increase in both public and private locations (consider a small, currently unusable garage). Furthermore, where one passenger car currently fits, two of these proposed cars could fit, effectively doubling the number of parking spaces in cities. This would improve mobility and reduce the number of times people have to circle the block looking for parking, thus decreasing traffic congestion. Traffic jams would also be reduced, since in the event of an accident, the smaller vehicle would occupy less space and be easier to move to facilitate traffic flow. Additionally, smaller vehicles could also maneuver around the obstacle more easily. With smaller cars and lanes of the same size, collisions would be less likely, as intersections would be avoided.

[0049] 13) The state of the art in all types of vehicle components facilitates the safety and functionality of these vehicles, as exemplified by solid tires. Although a car may have three wheels, using solid tires makes maintenance and replacement easier, prevents a flat tire from rendering the vehicle unresponsive, and enhances the gyroscopic effect (due to the solid rotating mass), thus improving vehicle stability.

[0050] 14) That the battery can be placed exclusively under the seats, making the most of the space and reducing the dimensions, and that the motor can be placed under the rear seats and between the rear wheels, which are also located under the rear seats.

[0051] Having said all of the above, the common element to all variants is that this electric car does not have a nose or trunk that protrudes from the lower part of the vehicle.

[0052] The ideal used version presented here embodies the essence of the proposal, but several basic variants are also available, varying in overall dimensions, battery layout, wheel arrangement, seating configuration, engine position, and steering wheel configuration. Further variants can be created by combining several of these or by modifying elements as described below:

[0053] More variants can be created to allow for different uses, whether for transporting goods or more passengers, which would allow the proposal to be adapted to function as a van, bus, airport shuttle bus, autonomous car in which space intended for pedals and controls would be saved...

[0054] The possible variations in the components are summarized as follows:

[0055] • Overall dimensions: The ideal version is 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, tall, and deep. The various configurations have been designed with 0.5m quadrants in mind, with seat dimensions of 0.5m wide and long in plan view. The wheels are assumed to be 0.5m in diameter. It would have 5 seats, with the front seats providing approximately 0.5m to 1m of legroom (ideally 0.75m). This legroom would be adjustable by sliding the seat forward or backward, leaving enough space for the driver's pedals and for rear passengers to sit comfortably. Larger passengers would preferably sit in the front. Rear passengers would have 0.25m of legroom between the seats, allowing them to tuck their feet partially under the front seats.Smaller versions of the ideal model are also available, the smallest of which can accommodate only one passenger and is 1 meter wide and long. Larger versions can carry more passengers or more cargo.

[0056] • Battery distribution: In the ideal version, the battery is triangular to distribute the load between the wheels and position the center of gravity in the optimal location for vehicle stability, that is, 2 / 3 of the way between the front wheel axles and 1 / 3 of the way between the rear wheels. In other configurations, the battery can be arranged in other geometric shapes (pentagonal in the case of a 5-wheeled vehicle, for example) or by combining two rectangles, one positioned under the front seats and the other under the rear seats, leaving enough space for the motor, which would also be located under the rear seat. The centers of gravity could be adjusted to place more weight on one side than the other, thus counterbalancing a single passenger or multiple passengers and pragmatically preventing wear on tires and other components while allowing for a balanced load distribution.

[0057] • Wheel configuration: The ideal version has 3 wheels, while other versions have 4, 5, or more. The common element remains the same: saving space and weight. Having 4 or 5 wheels primarily allows for increased stability or a greater number of seats. Depending on the number of wheels, the size may vary; they could be smaller if the vehicle has more wheels. A version is also included in the 3-wheel configuration with an extra wheel in the middle. This would, among other reasons, improve stability in case of a puncture if the wheels weren't solid. Other proposed versions add axles for greater capacity, and additional wheels can be added to the axles, increasing width and therefore capacity. The wheels don't necessarily have to be rubber; the same configurations can be applied to iron wheels, similar to cars running on rails.The steering would preferably (but not necessarily) be on the front wheel or wheels, without further complexity.

[0058] Apart from the number of wheels and their arrangement, the state of the art allows for adequate power transmission or proper wheel turning angles with any of the configurations offered here.

[0059] In the 3-wheel versions, the preferred wheel size is 0.5m, in the 4-wheel versions, 0.4m, and in the 5-wheel versions, 0.33m.

[0060] • Number of seats and layout: Depending on the available space, a greater or lesser number of seats are assigned. In the ideal VO version, there is room for 5 passengers. In the smallest version, only 1 passenger fits, as mentioned previously, and in larger versions, for example, 6 people can fit in the 4-wheel version or 7 in the 5-wheel version, due to the space that can be distributed among the seats. With larger dimensions, a greater number of seats can obviously be accommodated, which can also be arranged with passengers facing backward to save space. While this may not be compatible with traffic regulations, it could have other uses in private spaces away from public traffic, such as airports. The spaces designated for pedals and controls have been eliminated in some versions because they may be more convenient if the vehicle is autonomous, allowing for even smaller dimensions.The minimum space between the front and rear seats would be about 25 cm, but since there's an empty space under the front seats, passengers could tuck their feet in sideways and then straighten them once seated. The rear seats could be raised higher than the front ones to increase legroom or to accommodate the battery. This would also give rear passengers a better view forward than those in front, and even allow the steering wheel to be on the back seat, letting the rear passenger drive.

[0061] • Motor: The motor should preferably be located under the rear seat on the left side so that if the battery's weight (per unit area) is comparatively greater than the motor's, it acts as a counterweight to the driver / passenger, since vehicles are often occupied by only one passenger instead of two or more. A detailed study of weight distribution would be necessary, taking into account the battery's weight per unit area, which in turn will depend on the battery capacity to be implemented. If the motor is small and space cannot be used for other components, a trunk or compartment could be included under the rear seats, without protruding as is done in passenger cars.

[0062] • Steering wheel: The steering wheel doesn't necessarily have to be in the front or on the right. It can be in the center in versions with a front passenger in the middle, or it can be on any front or rear seat. The steering wheel could be positioned so far back, avoiding obstructions to the driver's view (if there is a driver), thus providing greater safety for the driver in a collision, as the rear seat offers cushioning space in front. In that case, the front could be used as a trunk, for example, with the seats folded down or removed altogether.

[0063] • Overhangs beyond the wheel axles: Any empty overhang beyond the wheels without a technical necessity may be considered included within this patent. This is because the vehicle could be unnecessarily lengthened under the pretext of incorporating a more or less empty front end or trunk that does not add considerable weight to the vehicle, thus making the vehicle unnecessarily long without any real motivation beyond avoiding acquiring rights to this patent.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Ideal version called V0: 3-wheeled version, 5 passengers with equal dimensions of width, height and length, preferably 1.5m (but any measurement could be considered, such as 2m.), which is taken as a reference for the other claims, especially V3. Motor between rear wheels, battery in the shape of a triangle on the floor that favors the stability of the vehicle, balances the loads between the wheels and partially compensates the center of gravity of the front occupant or occupants.

2. One-passenger version designated V1, preferred dimensions of width and length 1 m x 1 m. Front wheel partially or fully between the passenger's legs. Rear wheel under the seat.

3. Two-passenger version called V2, preferred dimensions of 1.5m wide and 1-1.5m long, with room for two occupants one on each side of the front wheel which is located partially or totally between the occupants' legs and the rear wheels are located totally or partially under the seats.

4. Three-wheeled version, maximum 5 passengers, designated V3: with a three-wheel configuration, one front and two rear. Capacity for up to 5 passengers, 2 in front and 3 in back. The front wheel is positioned partially or completely between the legroom of the front occupants, and the rear wheels are partially or completely under the rear seats. Preferred overall dimensions are between 1.5 and 2 meters in width, height, and length. The motor is located between the rear wheels, primarily transmitting power to these two rear wheels. The battery, without a predefined shape, is positioned in the floor of the car to optimize stability, taking into account the load distribution according to the number of passengers or the cargo. It can be divided into two batteries, one under the front seats and the other under the rear seats, allowing the necessary space for the motor.The seats can be foldable and / or removable to diversify passenger or cargo transport uses. It can have driving controls or be autonomous. It can have overhangs beyond the wheels without being technically necessary. With similar legroom in the front and rear seats.

5. Three-wheeled version, maximum 5 passengers, designated V3B: This version offers more foot space by default in the front seats than in the rear. While the front seats have a preferred space of approximately 0.75m in front, the rear seats have a preferred space of approximately 0.25m, which could be increased or decreased depending on the size of the passengers, whether the vehicle is carrying cargo instead of passengers, or whether or not to include controls due to the vehicle's autonomous nature.

6. 3-wheel version, maximum 5 passengers, called V3C: raised rear seats, in case it is considered better for the purpose of distributing battery space, foot space, loads, weights, driver, passengers, etc.

7. 3-wheel version, maximum 5 passengers, called V3D: version with a wheel in the middle, for greater safety and stability.

8. Five-wheeled version, designated V5: with five wheels arranged in a pentagonal shape. This is the same configuration as the various three-wheeled versions, but with two additional wheels positioned beneath the front passengers. This allows for more wheels, which can be smaller, potentially improving vehicle stability by optimizing space, distributing less weight to each wheel, and reducing maintenance or puncture issues. The basic version seats five passengers, but this could be increased to eight with a 2+3+3 seating configuration.

9. Four-wheeled version, initially for up to 6 passengers, called the V6: a four-wheeled, six-seater version. Like the V5 version, but the front wheel is gone. There would be up to 3 passengers in the front and up to 3 in the back, initially, but this could be increased if more passengers are distributed per row.

10. Version called V6B: 4-wheel version, and up to 6 seats in principle, as in V6, with raised rear seats.

11. 5-wheel version, called V8: 5-wheel version as in V5 but with capacity for 8 passengers, in principle, with a 2+3+3 seating configuration.

12. Version called V8B: as in V8 but with all seats facing forward.

13. Version called V9: 4-wheel version, 9 seats, initially having 3+3+3 passengers, being able to accommodate more passengers per row.

14. Version called V9B: as in the V9 version, 4-wheel version, up to 9 seats in principle, but with all seats facing forward.

15. Version called V11: 5-wheel version, up to 11 passengers initially, having 2+3+3+3.

16. Version called V12: version with up to 12 seats initially having 3+3+3+3.

17. Version called V12B: 12-seater version as in V12, but with all seats facing forward.

18. Any other version that can be deduced as a combination of the above.

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