Battery module, and vehicle equipped with same

A battery module comprising:

• a battery stack that includes a plurality of prismatic battery cells stacked in a direction along thicknesses of the plurality of prismatic battery cells;
• a pair of end plates disposed respectively at end faces of the battery stack in a stacked direction of the battery stack;
• and
• a bind bar connected to the pair of end plates,
• wherein
• each of the pair of end plates includes a first metal sheet and a second metal sheet that are partly stacked in fixed relation,
• the first metal sheet includes:
• a plate part having an outline corresponding to a shape of each of the end faces of the battery stack;
• and
• a bent side piece provided at each of widthwise sides of the plate part, the bent side piece being connected to the bind bar,
• the second metal sheet includes:
• a plurality of parallel plate parts stacked on and fixed to the plate part of the first metal sheet;
• and
• a plurality of bending ridges that are each disposed between the parallel plate parts, the plurality of bending ridges extending along widths of the pair of end plates, and
• with the plurality of parallel plate parts of the second metal sheet fixed to the plate part of the first metal sheet, a tubular reinforcement is defined by the plate part of the first metal sheet and each of the plurality of bending ridges of the second metal sheet and extends along the widths,
• wherein each of the pair of end plates includes a plurality of the tubular reinforcements paralleling each other, and
• wherein,
• the first metal sheet further includes a bent horizontal piece connecting with each of an upper side and a lower side of the plate part,
• the bending ridge of the second metal sheet includes a top surface and a riser connecting with a side of the top surface,
• the bent horizontal piece of the first metal sheet has a terminal border connected to another side of the top surface of the bending ridge, and
• the tubular reinforcement is of square-cylinder shape and is defined by the bent horizontal piece and the plate part of the first metal sheet, and the top surface and the riser of the second metal sheet.