Electric vehicle having drivetrain and suspension

• US 8,453,782 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kondo, Nobuyuki, Matsuda, Junichi, Yamanaka, Takasumi, Honda, Naoyoshi, Kanazawa, Izumi, Shimura, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOLLMAN, BRODIE J
• Application Number:
  US13/282,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20120103706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.31, 180/65.6, 180/291, 180/220, 180/226
• US Class Current: 180/291
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2202/00 Motorised scooters
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2204/00 Adaptations for driving cycles by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 7/12 with the engine beside or within the driven wheel

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes a vehicle body frame; an electric motor; a swing arm pivotally supporting a rear wheel at a rear end thereof; a drive shaft for transmitting the driving force of the electric motor to the wheel; and a suspension connecting the vehicle body frame and the swing arm together. The electric motor is set in a longitudinal layout in which a rotating drive shaft is disposed in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; and is offset from a center to either of left and right sides in a vehicle width direction. The suspension is disposed under the electric motor and the drive shaft, and on the inner sides of the electric motor and the drive shaft in the vehicle width direction, and overlapping the positions of the electric motor and the drive shaft in the front-rear direction.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body frame;

an electric motor for generating a travel driving force;

a swing arm swingably provided in the rear of the vehicle body frame, and pivotally supporting a rear wheel at a rear end of the swing arm;

a drive shaft for transmitting the driving force of the electric motor to the wheel; and

a suspension connecting the vehicle body frame and the swing arm together,

wherein the electric motor is connected to the drive shaft in a way that;

the electric motor is set in a longitudinal layout in which a rotating shaft is disposed in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; and

the electric motor is disposed, deviated from a center to any one of left and right sides in a vehicle width direction, and

wherein the suspension is disposed under the electric motor and the drive shaft, and on the inner sides of the electric motor and the drive shaft in the vehicle width direction, with the position of the suspension in the front-rear direction overlapping the positions of the electric motor and the drive shaft in the front-rear direction.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1,

wherein a set of the electric motor and the drive shaft is disposed in each of the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction in parallel, and

wherein the suspension is disposed between the sets.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

a main frame extending rearward from the head pipe;

a seat rail extending rearward from the main frame; and

a rear sub-frame connecting the main frame and the seat rail together, and

a storage box is attached to the seat rail by disposing the storage box in a space portion on a lateral side of the seat rail above the swing arm or the drive shaft, or in a space portion between the swing arm or the drive shaft and the seat rail.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 2,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

a main frame extending rearward from the head pipe;

a seat rail extending rearward from the main frame; and

a rear sub-frame connecting the main frame and the seat rail together, and

a storage box is attached to the seat rail by disposing the storage box in a space portion on a lateral side of the seat rail above the swing arm or the drive shaft, or in a space portion between the swing arm or the drive shaft and the seat rail.

5. The electric vehicle claim 1,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side,

a battery for supplying power to the electric motor is detachably disposed in a battery storage unit between the upper frames and the lower frames, and

wherein the electric motor is disposed in the rear of the battery storage unit.

6. The electric vehicle claim 2,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side,

a battery for supplying power to the electric motor is detachably disposed in a battery storage unit between the upper frames and the lower frames, and

wherein the electric motor is disposed in the rear of the battery storage unit.

7. The electric vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the electric motor is attached to the vehicle body frame, and

wherein the drive shaft is connected to the electric motor by use of a constant-velocity joint.

8. The electric vehicle of claim 2,

wherein the electric motor is attached to the vehicle body frame, and

wherein the drive shaft is connected to the electric motor by use of a constant-velocity joint.

9. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electric motor swings integrally with the swing arm.

10. The electric vehicle of claim 2, wherein the electric motor swings integrally with the swing arm.

11. The electric vehicle of claim 3, wherein the electric motor swings integrally with the swing arm.

12. The electric vehicle of claim 5, wherein the electric motor swings integrally with the swing arm.

13. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the rear wheel.

14. The electric vehicle of claim 2, wherein the drive shaft transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the rear wheel.

15. The electric vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.

16. The electric vehicle of claim 2,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.

17. The electric vehicle of claim 3,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.

18. The electric vehicle of claim 5,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.

19. The electric vehicle of claim 7,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.

20. The electric vehicle of claim 9,

wherein the vehicle body frame includes:

a head pipe pivotally supporting a steering shaft;

upper frames extending rearward from the head pipe on an upper side; and

lower frames extending rearward from the head pipe on a lower side, and

wherein a position of a lower end of the electric motor is located above positions of lower ends of the lower frames.