Electric vehicle powertrain

• US 10,690,234 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2019
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proterra Operating Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proterra AG
• Inventors: Oury, Jr., Robert F., Simonini, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, John D
• Application Number:
  US16/353,244
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 180 656
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/006 the electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0402 Cleaning of lubricants, e.g. filters or magnets
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0413 Controlled cooling or heating of lubricant; Temperature control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0417 Heat exchangers adapted or integrated in the gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0476 Electric machines and gearing, i.e. joint lubrication or cooling or heating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/25 Devices for sensing temperature, or actuated thereby
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/006 Structural association of a motor or generator with the drive train of a motor vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/116 with gears
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/19 for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

An electric vehicle may include a powertrain including an axle having a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, a first motor and a first gearbox operatively coupled to the first drive wheel, and a second motor and a second gearbox operatively coupled to the second drive wheel. The electric vehicle may also include a radiator including coolant, and an oil manifold including first and second oil inlets, first and second oil outlets, first and second coolant inlets, and at least one coolant outlet. The oil manifold may be fluidly connected to the first and second gearboxes, the first and second motors, and to the radiator.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a powertrain including;

an axle having a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel;

a first motor and a first gearbox operatively coupled to the first drive wheel; and

a second motor and a second gearbox operatively coupled to the second drive wheel;

a radiator including coolant; and

an oil manifold including first and second oil inlets, first and second oil outlets, first and second coolant inlets, and at least one coolant outlet,

wherein the oil manifold is fluidly connected to the first and second gearboxes, the first and second motors, and to the radiator.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the oil manifold forms a first oil flow circuit to filter and cool oil from the first motor, wherein the oil manifold forms a second oil flow circuit to filter and cool oil from the second motor, and wherein the first oil flow circuit is fluidly isolated from the second oil flow circuit.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the oil manifold includes two oil pumps, and wherein one oil pump is configured to control the flow of oil between the first oil inlet and the first oil outlet and another oil pump is configured to control the flow of oil between the second oil inlet and the second oil outlet.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the oil manifold further comprises first and second oil screens positioned upstream of the two oil pumps, and wherein the oil manifold further comprises first and second oil filters positioned downstream of the two oil pumps.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising an electronic control unit coupled to the oil manifold, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the two oil pumps.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the two oil pumps are configured to control the flow of oil in the first and second oil flow circuits independently.

7. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising one or more heat exchangers configured to receive coolant from the first and second coolant inlets, wherein oil in the first oil flow circuit and the second oil flow circuit thermally interacts with coolant within the one or more heat exchangers.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the oil manifold is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and wherein the manifold includes bored fluid passageways to connect the oil inlets to the oil outlets and the coolant inlets to the at least one coolant outlet.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least one coolant pump, wherein the coolant inlets are configured to receive coolant from the at least one coolant pump, and wherein the at least one coolant outlet is fluidly connected to the radiator.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the oil manifold is mounted on the axle between the first and second gearboxes, and wherein the oil manifold includes one or more insulators between a body of the oil manifold and the axle.

11. An oil manifold for an electric vehicle, comprising:

first and second oil inlets;

first and second oil outlets;

first and second coolant inlets;

at least one coolant outlet; and

first and second oil pumps,

wherein the first and second oil inlets, first and second oil outlets, and first and second oil pumps form two fluidly isolated oil flow paths within the oil manifold.

12. The oil manifold of claim 11, further comprising first and second oil screens positioned upstream of the two oil pumps, and first and second oil filters positioned downstream of the two oil pumps.

13. The oil manifold of claim 11, wherein the first and second oil pumps are electric pumps.

14. The oil manifold of claim 11, further comprising one or more heat exchangers coupled to the oil flow circuits and the coolant flow circuits.

15. The oil manifold of claim 11, further comprising one or more bypass plates coupled to the oil flow circuits and the coolant flow circuits.

16. A powertrain for an electric vehicle, comprising:

a first electric motor coupled to a first drive wheel via a first gearbox;

a second motor independently coupled to a second drive wheel via a second gearbox; and

an oil manifold, the oil manifold including;

a manifold body;

first and second oil inlets on the manifold body;

first and second oil outlets on the manifold body;

first and second coolant inlets on the manifold body; and

at least one coolant outlet on the manifold body,

wherein the manifold body includes a plurality of passageways fluidly connecting the first oil inlet to the first oil outlet, the second oil inlet to the second oil outlet, and the first and second coolant inlets to the at least one coolant outlet, and

wherein the passageways connecting the first oil inlet to the first oil outlet are fluidly isolated from the passageways connecting the second oil inlet to the second oil outlet.

17. The powertrain of claim 16, further comprising:

first and second electric oil pumps;

first and second oil screens; and

first and second oil filters,

wherein the first and second oil screens are positioned upstream of the two oil pumps, and wherein the first and second oil filters positioned downstream of the two oil pumps.

18. The powertrain of claim 17, wherein the first and second oil filters are threadingly secured within cylindrical openings in the manifold body.

19. The oil manifold of claim 17, further comprising an electronic control unit mounted on the manifold body, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the first and second electric oil pumps.

20. The oil manifold of claim 16, wherein the manifold body is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.