Electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071782-B2
Application number	US-201715592708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	May 16, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

An electric vehicle is provided with a highly simple and convenient structure for detachably retaining a battery, and enabling the vehicle to be lifted by hand. A battery case of the electric vehicle includes an upper extension (80F, 80G) including an upper member (80G) configured to be gripped by a hand for lifting the vehicle, and defining a gripping space (112) for receiving the hand between an upper surface of the battery received in the battery case and the upper member, and a latching structure (102, 106, 120) is provided between an upper part of the battery and an opposing part of the battery case, the latching structure including an operating member (104) positioned inside the gripping space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle including a vehicle body frame, a wheel supported by the vehicle body frame, an electric motor for driving the wheel, and a power unit for supplying electric power to the electric motor, the power unit comprising a battery case provided in a rear part of the vehicle body frame and having a rearwardly facing opening, and a battery configured to be detachably placed in the battery case,
wherein the battery case includes an upper extension including an upper member configured to be gripped by a hand for lifting the vehicle, and defining a gripping space for receiving the hand between an upper surface of the battery received in the battery case and the upper member, and a latching structure is provided between an upper part of the battery and an opposing part of the battery case, the latching structure including an operating member positioned inside the gripping space.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle consists of an inverted pendulum vehicle.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the operating member includes an operating arm having a base end pivotally supported by the battery case and a free end extending forward, and is configured to release the latching structure by being depressed downward.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the operating arm extends forward with a downward slant.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the upper extension includes a pair of side walls and an upper wall extending between the side walls, the upper member consisting of the upper wall.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to be placed in a forwardly slanted park position, and the battery case includes a bottom wall extending substantially horizontally when the vehicle is in operation, and a slanted wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom wall with a downward slant, the slanted wall being angled in such a manner that the slanted wall extends substantially horizontally when the vehicle is in the park position.

7. The electric vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the battery is provided with a pair of lateral projections located in lower front parts of side surfaces of the battery, and each of opposing side walls of the battery case is provided with a guide slot for guiding a rotational motion of the battery around a lateral axial line and an upward motion of the battery from a state where the battery is placed on the slanted wall.

8. The electric vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the battery is provided with a grip handle in an upper part thereof.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshino Tsutomu
• Hasebe Manabu

Classifications

• B62K1/00

  Unicycles · CPC title

• B60L50/64

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H01M50/249

  specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) · CPC title

• B62K11/007 Primary

  Automatic balancing machines with single main ground engaging wheel or coaxial wheels supporting a rider · CPC title

• B62M7/00

  Motorcycles characterised by position of motor or engine (rider propulsion with addition source of power, e.g. auxiliary combustion engine or electric motor B62M6/00; frames characterised by position of engine B62K11/00) · CPC title