High voltage battery for a motor vehicle

A high voltage battery for a motor vehicle comprising:

• at least two battery modules arranged adjacently to each other, each battery module having a module housing to receive battery cells and at least one electrical connection element, wherein the at least one electrical connection element of one of the two battery modules is moveable within a respective module housing and wherein the at least one electrical connection element of the other of the two battery modules is fixed to a respective module housing such that the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules is independently moveable relative to the at least one electrical connection element of the other of the two battery modules;
• the one of the two battery modules has at least one prestressing element arranged within the respective module housing of the one of the two battery modules and connected to the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules;
• the at least one electrical connection of the one of the two battery modules is arranged on the one of the two battery modules such that the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules is movable within the one of the two battery modules between a connection position, in which the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules is guided through a through-hole in the respective module housing of the one of the two battery modules and is arranged at least partially outside the respective module housing of the one of the two battery modules, and a protective position where the at least one electrical connection element is arranged completely within the respective module housing of the one of the two battery modules;
• the at least one prestressing element prestresses the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules in a direction of the protective position;
• the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules in the connection position is connected to the other of the two battery modules via at least one connecting unit;
• and
• the at least one connecting unit is configured such that a connection produced by the at least one connecting unit can be released in a destruction-free manner or with destruction of the at least one connecting unit by a movement of the two battery modules relative to one another in a movement direction which extends transversely to a prestressing direction in which the at least one electrical connection element of the one of the two battery modules is prestressed by the at least one prestressing element.