Low-floor electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9680139-B2
Application number	US-201614992900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2016
Priority date	Jun 27, 2008
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides for a high occupancy or heavy-duty vehicle with a battery propulsion power source, which may include lithium titanate batteries. The vehicle may be all-battery or may be a hybrid, and may have a composite body. The vehicle battery system may be housed within the floor of the vehicle and may have different groupings and arrangements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A low-floor electric bus comprising:
a body made of a composite material;
a floor made of a composite material; and
a plurality of battery packs mounted under the floor of the low-floor electric bus such that the floor inside the bus in an area that extends an entire width of the bus between a front axle and a rear axle of the bus is substantially flat.

2. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , wherein each battery pack of the plurality of packs has a height of 8 inches or less.

3. The low-floor electric bus of claim 2 , wherein each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs has a height of 6.75 inches or less.

4. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , further including a battery power source mounted on a roof of the bus.

5. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , wherein the composite material of the body comprises a first skin and a second skin with a core sandwiched between the first and the second skins.

6. The low-floor electric bus of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second skins include fiber glass and the core includes balsa wood.

7. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , wherein each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is positioned in a cavity under the floor.

8. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of battery packs includes a plurality of lithium titanate battery packs.

9. The low-floor electric bus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of battery packs are configured to be charged to over 90% state of charge in ten minutes.

10. A low-floor electric bus, comprising:
a body made of a composite material;
a floor made of a composite material;
one or more cavities provided under the floor; and
a plurality of battery packs positioned in the one or more cavities such that the floor has a low-floor configuration wherein the floor inside the bus between a front axle and a rear axle of the bus is substantially flat.

11. The low-floor bus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of battery pack include one or more lithium titanate battery packs.

12. The low-floor bus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of battery packs include at least one battery pack having a chemistry different from the one or more lithium titanate battery packs.

13. The low-floor bus of claim 11 , wherein each battery pack of the one or more lithium titanate battery packs has a height of 8 inches or less.

14. The low-floor electric bus of claim 10 , wherein the composite material of the body comprises a first skin and a second skin with a core sandwiched between the first and the second skins, and wherein the first and the second skins include fiber glass and the core includes balsa wood.

15. The low-floor electric bus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more cavities permit mounting of the plurality of battery packs into the one or more cavities from below an underside of the low-floor electric bus.

16. A low-floor electric bus, comprising:
a body formed from a composite material as one piece;
a drive motor provided on a rear of the body;
a floor made of a composite material; and
a battery power source configured to provide power to the drive motor, the battery power source including a plurality of battery packs mounted under the floor such that the floor inside the bus in an area that extends an entire width of the bus between a front axle and a rear axle of the bus is substantially flat, wherein each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs have a height of 8 inches or less.

17. The low-floor electric bus of claim 16 , wherein the composite material of the body comprises a balsa wood core sandwiched between fiber glass skin layers.

18. The low-floor electric bus of claim 16 , wherein each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is mounted in a cavity of one or more cavities formed under the floor.

19. The low-floor electric bus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of battery packs includes one or more lithium titanate battery packs.

20. The low-floor electric bus of claim 16 , wherein the battery power source is configured to be charged to over 90% state of charge in ten minutes.

Assignees

• Proterra Inc

Inventors

• Hill Dale
• Walker Michael
• Onorato Shaun
• Morris Donald
• Misencik Stephen
• Winkel John

Classifications

• B60L53/11

  DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4 · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• B60L58/12

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• B60L50/62

  charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders · CPC title

• B60L58/21

  having the same nominal voltage · CPC title