ELECTRIC VEHICLE WITH STRUCTURALLY INTEGRATED COMPONENTS

• US 20110240386A1
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CODA Energy Holdings, LLC (Exergonix, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Coda Automotive, Inc.
• Inventors: Czinger, Kevin Robert, TenHouten, Broc William
• Application Number:
  US13/079,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20110240386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• 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 1/04 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 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

An electric vehicle (EV) includes EV components utilized as structural members within the vehicle, as a so-called stressed member. The EV component itself acts as a load-bearing structural member, thereby reducing the amount and/or mass of structural members otherwise forming the vehicle structure alone, and ultimately reducing vehicle weight.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

load-bearing structure; and

a plurality of electric vehicle components, each operatively coupled to each other and together constructed and arranged to provide a motive force, the plurality of electric vehicle components including at least an electric motor and a battery pack, each of the electric vehicle components including a respective electric vehicle component housing;

wherein at least one of the electric vehicle component housings is integrated with the load-bearing structure such that said electric vehicle component housing is a stressed member within the load-bearing structure.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of structural members and wherein at least a portion of the electric vehicle component housing is integrally formed with one of the structural members.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of structural members and wherein at least a portion of the electric vehicle component housing is integrally joined with one of the structural members.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle component housing is joined to the first structural member employing at least one of a plurality of joining arrangements including welding, adhesively bonding, and mechanically fastening.

5. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric vehicle components further includes at least one of a power inverter, a generator, a conductor, a charger and a dc/dc converter.

6. An electric vehicle comprising:

a load-bearing structure including a first load-bearing structural member; and

a plurality of electric vehicle components, each operatively coupled to each other and together constructed and arranged to provide a motive force, the plurality of electric vehicle components including at least an electric motor, and a battery pack, each of the electric vehicle components including a respective electric vehicle component housing;

wherein at least one of the electric vehicle component housings is integrated with the first load-bearing structural member and forms a second load-bearing structural member such that said electric vehicle component housing is a stressed member within the load-bearing structure.

7. The electric vehicle of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the electric vehicle component housing is integrally formed with the first structural member.

8. The electric vehicle of claim 6, wherein the electric vehicle component housing is joined to the first structural member employing at least one of a plurality of joining arrangements including welding, adhesively bonding, and mechanically fastening.

9. The electric vehicle of claim 6, wherein the battery pack housing forms a floor pan of the vehicle.

10. The electric vehicle of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electric vehicle components further includes at least one of a power inverter, a generator, a conductor, a charger and a dc/dc converter.

11. An electric vehicle comprising:

a load-bearing structure; and

at least one electric vehicle powertrain component having a housing, the housing integrated with the load-bearing structure such that the housing is a stressed member within the load-bearing structure.

12. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the at least one electric vehicle powertrain component at least one of an electric motor, power inverter, a generator, a conductor, a charger and a dc/dc converter.

13. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the electric vehicle component housing is integrally formed with the load-bearing structure.

14. The electric vehicle of claim 11, wherein the load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of load-bearing structural members.

15. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the electric vehicle component housing is joined to a structural member employing at least one of a plurality of joining arrangements including welding, adhesively bonding, and mechanically fastening.

16. An electric vehicle comprising:

a load-bearing structure; and

a battery pack having a housing, the housing integrated with the load-bearing structure such that the housing is a stressed member within the load-bearing structure.

17. The electric vehicle of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the battery pack housing is integrally formed with the load-bearing structure.

18. The electric vehicle of claim 16, wherein the load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of load-bearing structural members.

19. The electric vehicle of claim 18, wherein the battery pack housing is joined to a structural member employing at least one of a plurality of joining arrangements including welding, adhesively bonding, and mechanically fastening.

20. The electric vehicle of claim 16, wherein the battery pack housing forms a floor pan of the vehicle.

21. A method of manufacturing an electric vehicle comprising:

providing a structural member of a load-bearing structure; and

integrating an electric vehicle component housing with the structural member such that the electric vehicle component housing forms a stressed member within the load-bearing structure.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the electric vehicle component housing is at least one of a battery pack housing, an electric motor housing, power inverter housing, a generator housing, a conductor, a charger housing and a dc/dc converter housing.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the integrating act includes integrally forming at least a portion of the electric vehicle component housing with the structural member of the load-bearing structure.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the integrating act includes joining to a structural member employing at least one of a plurality of joining arrangements including welding, adhesively bonding, and mechanically fastening.