Electric bus

• US 8,720,617 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BYD Company Limited
• Original Assignee: BYD Company Limited, Shenzhen BYD Auto R&D Company Limited
• Inventors: Peng, Wang, Lin, Weiye, Liang, Lecheng, Jing, Kui
• Primary Examiner(s): WALTERS, JOHN DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US13/536,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20130000997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/68.5, 903/903, 903/907
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• 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 17/22 characterised by arrangement, location, or type of main drive shafting, e.g. cardan shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/001 one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0405 characterised by their position
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/61 Arrangements of controllers for electric machines, e.g. inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/02 for large numbers of passengers, e.g. omnibus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

An electric bus is disclosed, comprising a body including a floor, a rear cabin, and two front wheel wells. The front wheel wells are disposed in a middle section of the body. The body further includes a seat area having one or more seats arranged in one or more rows. The rear cabin is disposed behind a back row of the seats. The electric bus further includes a chassis and a battery system for providing electric power to the electric bus. The battery system further comprises a first battery group disposed above the respective front wheel wells; a second battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to an intermediate row of the seats; and a third battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to a back row of the seats and in the rear cabin behind the back row of seats.

Claims

1. An electric bus, comprising:

a body including a floor, a rear cabin, and two front wheel wells, the front wheel wells being disposed in a middle section of the body, the body further including a seat area having one or more seats arranged in one or more rows, the rear cabin being disposed behind a back row of the seats;

a chassis;

a battery system for providing electric power to the electric bus;

wherein, the battery system, comprising;

a first battery group disposed above the respective front wheel wells;

a second battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to an intermediate row of the seats;

a third battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to a back row of the seats and in the rear cabin behind the back row of seats; and

two battery assembly cabinets disposed above respective front wheel wells of the body, the battery assembly cabinets being disposed symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of the body.

2. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein the first battery group includes a first set of battery packs and second set of battery packs stacked vertically in the respective battery assembly cabinets.

3. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein the floor includes a wheelchair area behind the front wheel well across from a front passenger door of the body;

the second battery group comprises a third set of battery packs and fourth set of battery packs that are secured to the chassis under the floor; and

the third set of battery packs are disposed under the floor between the front wheel well and a rear passenger door of the body;

the third set battery packs form a single-layer structure on the chassis; and

the fourth set of battery packs form a double-layer structure under the wheelchair area and a single-layer structure between the wheelchair area and the rear wheel well.

4. The electric bus of claim 3, further comprising a first air tank group and a second air tank group secured to the chassis , the first air tank group being secured to the chassis under the floor proximate to the wheelchair area, and the second air tank group being secured to the chassis on the side of the rear passenger door and behind the rear wheel well.

5. The electric bus of claim 4, wherein the first air tank group and second air tank group each form a single layer structure on the chassis.

6. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein the third battery group includes a fifth set of battery packs and sixth set of battery packs;

the fifth set of battery packs are secured at a bottom section of a rear cabin under the floor proximate to the back row of the seats; and

the sixth set of battery packs are fixed at the top of the rear cabin behind the back row of the seats; and

the sixth set of battery packs are stacked at the top of the rear cabin vertically.

7. The electric bus of claim 6, further comprising a high-voltage power distribution system disposed at the top of the sixth battery packs of the third battery group behind the back row of the seats.

8. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein the number of the battery packs in the first battery group, the number of the battery packs in the second battery group, and the number of the battery packs in the third battery group are substantially similar.

9. The electric bus of claim 1, further comprising an electric power assembly disposed across from a rear passenger door, wherein the electric power assembly includes a driving motor and an auto-transmission secured to the chassis across from the rear passenger door and behind a rear axle, and the electric power assembly is connected to an input shaft of a main gearbox of a rear axle via a transmission shaft.

10. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein the second battery group comprises a third set of battery packs and fourth set of battery packs;

the third set of battery packs and the fourth set of battery packs are secured via brackets to the chassis under the floor of intermediate rows of the seats.

11. The electric bus of claim 10, wherein the third set of battery packs are disposed under the floor of the seat area that is between a front wheel cap near a passenger door of the body and a rear passenger door.

12. The electric bus of claim 11, wherein the third set of battery packs form a single layer on the chassis.

13. The electric bus of claim 10, wherein the fourth set of battery packs are disposed between the front wheel well and the rear wheel well.

14. The electric bus of claim 10, wherein the floor including an opening for inspecting the second battery group.

15. The electric bus of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, and third battery groups includes a power and temperature management unit.

16. An electric bus, comprising:

a body including a floor, a rear cabin, and two front wheel wells, the front wheel wells being disposed in a middle section of the body, the body further including a seat area having one or more seats arranged in one or more rows, the rear cabin being disposed behind a back row of the seats;

a chassis;

a battery system for providing electric power to the electric bus;

wherein, the battery system, comprising;

a first battery group disposed above the respective front wheel wells ;

a second battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to an intermediate row of the seats; and

a third battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to a back row of the seats and in the rear cabin behind the back row of seats,

wherein the third battery group includes a first set of battery packs and a second set of battery packs;

the first set of battery packs are secured at a bottom section of a rear cabin under the floor proximate to the back row of the seats; and

the second set of battery packs are fixed at the top of the rear cabin behind the back row of the seats and stacked at the top of the rear cabin vertically.

17. The electric bus of claim 16, wherein the rear cabin includes a panel for inspecting the third battery group.

18. The electric bus of claim 16, further comprising a power distribution system secured to the third battery group.

19. The electric bus of claim 18, further comprising a service switch disposed on the third battery group.

20. An electric bus, comprising:

a body including a floor, a rear cabin, and two front wheel wells, the front wheel wells being disposed in a middle section of the body, the body further including a seat area having one or more seats arranged in one or more rows, the rear cabin being disposed behind a back row of the seats;

a chassis;

a battery system for providing electric power to the electric bus;

wherein, the battery system, comprising;

a first battery group disposed above the respective front wheel wells;

a second battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to an intermediate row of the seats;

a third battery group disposed under the floor and proximate to a back row of the seats and in the rear cabin behind the back row of seats, and

an electric power assembly disposed across from a rear passenger door, wherein the electric power assembly includes a driving motor and an auto-transmission secured to the chassis across from the rear passenger door and behind a rear axle, and the electric power assembly is connected to an input shaft of a main gearbox of a rear axle via a transmission shaft.