ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20100317485A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Inventors: Morisch, Bradley R., Gillingham, Brian R., Malone, Amber P., Leonard, Josh J., Notaro, Joel M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,182,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/346 the transfer gear being a differential gear
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A utility vehicle is disclosed having an electric drive. The drivetrain is comprised of batteries, a motor, a transaxle driven by the motor, a rear differential driven by the transaxle, and a prop shaft which is driven by the transaxle and drives a front differential. The batteries are provided in two groups and are supported on the frame of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a frame;

a plurality of ground engaging members supporting the frame;

an electric motor supported by the frame and operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members to propel the vehicle;

an electronic controller operatively coupled to the electric motor to control operation of the electric motor;

an operator area supported by the frame, the operator area including seating and operator controls, at least a first operator control providing an input to the electronic controller regarding a desired speed of the electric vehicle;

a battery supply supported by the frame, the battery supply being operatively coupled to the electric motor;

a first differential supported by the frame rearward of the front plane of the seating and operatively coupled to at least one ground engaging member which is rearward of the front plane of the seating, the electric motor being operatively coupled to the first differential;

a second differential supported by the frame forward of the front plane of the seating and operatively coupled to at least one ground engaging member which is forward of the front plane of the seating; and

a prop shaft coupling the electric motor to the second differential, the prop shaft extending through the battery supply, wherein the electric vehicle has a plurality of wheel drive modes, each of the wheel drive modes selecting at least one of the plurality of ground engaging members to be operatively coupled to the electric motor, at least one of the plurality of wheel drive modes initially provides power to a first number of ground engaging members, the first number being less than a total number of ground engaging members, and subsequently provides power to a second number of ground engaging members in response to a loss of traction of at least one of the first number of ground engaging members, the second number being greater than the first number.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ground engaging members include a first ground engaging member and a second ground engaging member positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating and being operatively coupled to the first differential and a third ground engaging member and a fourth ground engaging member positioned forward of the front plane of the seating and being operatively coupled to the second differential, the first number of ground engaging members including the first ground engaging member and the second ground engaging member and the second number of ground engaging members including the first ground engaging member, the second ground engaging member, and at least one of the third ground engaging member and the fourth ground engaging member.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein a first wheel drive mode operatively couples only one of the first ground engaging member and the second ground engaging member to the electric motor.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein a second wheel drive mode operatively couples only the first ground engaging member and the second ground engaging member to the electric motor.

5. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein a first wheel drive mode operatively couples only one ground engaging member to the electric motor, the one ground engaging member being positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein a second wheel drive mode operatively couples at least two ground engaging members to the electric motor, all of the at least two ground engaging members being positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a portion of the ground engaging members of the second number is forward of the front plane of the seating and engine braking torque is provided to the portion of the ground engaging members of the second number.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the engine braking torque is controlled by the electronic controller altering a driving voltage of the electric motor.

9. A method of selecting a wheel drive mode of an electric vehicle from a plurality of possible wheel drive modes, each wheel drive mode selecting at least one of a plurality of ground engaging members to be operatively coupled to an electric motor of the electric vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first input in an operator area of the electric vehicle, the operator area having seating, the first input having a first setting corresponding to a first wheel drive mode, a second setting corresponding to a second wheel drive mode, and a third setting corresponding to a third wheel drive mode,

wherein in the first wheel drive mode less than all of the ground engaging members positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating are operatively coupled to the electric motor,

in the second wheel drive mode at least a portion of the ground engaging members positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating are operatively coupled to the electric motor, the portion of the ground engaging members including ground engaging members positioned on both sides of a vertical centerline plane of the electric vehicle, all of the at least two ground engaging members being positioned rearward of the front plane of the seating, and

in the third wheel drive mode a first number of ground engaging members are operatively coupled to the electric motor, the first number being less than a total number of ground engaging members and in response to a loss of traction of at least one of the first number of ground engaging members a second number of ground engaging members are operatively coupled to the electric motor, the second number being greater than the first number; and

providing a second input in the operator area of the electric vehicle, the second input having a first setting corresponding to a selection of engine braking when the third setting of the first input is selected, wherein the engine braking is provided by altering a driving voltage of the electric motor of the electric vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a torque output of the electric motor is independent of the wheel drive mode selected and a torque distribution is dependent on the wheel drive mode selected.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

providing a third input in the operator area of the electric vehicle, the third input having a plurality of setting each corresponding to a respective drive mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each drive mode includes a respective response curve which correlates an operator input to an electric motor output.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each drive mode controls an input current to the electric motor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each drive mode controls a condition which controls when in the third wheel drive mode the second number of ground engaging members are powered.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a first setting of the third input corresponds to a high speed mode, a second setting of the third input corresponds to a low speed mode, and a third setting of the third input corresponds to an efficiency mode.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein a first setting of the third input corresponds to a novice mode.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a first setting of the third input corresponds to a company mode.

18. A method of monitoring an electric vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

operatively coupling an external monitoring device to a controller of the electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including a rear drive operatively coupled to an electric drive motor to power one or more rear ground engaging members and a front drive operatively coupled to the electric drive motor to power one or more front ground engaging members, the electric motor being positioned rearward of a front plane of side-by-side seating in an operator area of the electric vehicle;

monitoring at least one characteristic of the electric motor with the external monitoring device; and

sending at least one response curve to the electronic controller from the external monitoring device, the response curve specifying an output characteristic of the electric motor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one characteristic is monitored in real time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one characteristic is a slip angle setpoint of the electric drive motor.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one characteristic is a drive current of the electric drive motor.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the external monitoring device is operatively coupled to the controller of the electric vehicle through a port, each of the external monitoring device and the controller of the electric vehicle being part of a controller area network.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the response curve limits a drive current of the electric drive motor based on an rpm of the electric drive motor.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the response curve limits the drive current of the electric motor in a non-linear fashion.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the response curve specifies the output characteristic of the electric motor when a first setting of a mode input is selected, the mode input being provided in the operator area.