Electric automobile

• US 9,079,504 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Amano, Atsushi, Tomokage, Ryoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNS, HILARY LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/357,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/02 of initiating means or elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/61 Arrangements of controllers for electric machines, e.g. inverters
• 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

An electric automobile in which a power control unit is disposed in a motor room formed at a front section of a vehicle: wherein a charging port or a power supply port is provided on a lateral surface of the front section of the vehicle; a charging connector or a power supply connector for connection to a charging power supply or an external device is attached to the charging port or the power supply port; the charging connector or the power supply connector is disposed in a manner so that a forward end thereof is located rearward of a forward end of a front wheel, and a rearward end thereof is located forward of a dash panel that partitions the motor room and a vehicle cabin; the charging connector or the power supply connector and the power control unit are connected by a cable; and a connection section between the cable and the power control unit is provided forward of the charging connector or the power supply connector.

Claims

1. An electric automobile in which a power control unit is disposed in a motor room formed at a front section of a vehicle:

wherein a charging port or a power supply port is respectively provided in a left front fender that is arranged on the left side at the front section of the vehicle to form the motor room and a right front fender that is arranged on the right side at the front section of the vehicle to form the motor room;

a charging connector or a power supply connector for connection to a charging power supply or an external device is attached to the charging port or the power supply port;

the charging connector or the power supply connector is disposed in a manner so that a forward end thereof is located rearward of a forward end of a front wheel, and a rearward end thereof is located forward of a dash panel that partitions the motor room and a vehicle cabin;

the charging connector or the power supply connector at the side of the left front fender and the power control unit are connected by a first cable;

the charging connector or the power supply connector at the side of the right front fender and the power control unit are connected by a second cable; and

a first connection section between the first cable and the power control unit and a second connection section between the second cable and the power control unit are provided forward of the charging connector or the power supply connector, on an upper surface or a rear surface of a surface constituting an exterior of the power control unit, and are overlapped with each other in a vertical direction.

2. The electric automobile according to claim 1, wherein the first connection section and the second connection section are provided on an upper side of the power control unit.

3. The electric automobile according to claim 1, wherein the charging port is provided respectively in the left front fender and the right front fender;

the charging connector includes a charging connector for connection to a domestic power supply and a charging connector for connection to a fast charging power supply that enables charge at a charging rate faster than the charging from the domestic power supply; and

the charging connector for connection to the domestic power supply is attached to one of the left and right charging ports, and the charging connector for connection to the fast charging power supply is attached to the other.