Air duct for water ingress management in a vehicle

An air guiding system for water ingress management in a motor vehicle having a pair of opposing front wheel wells, the air guiding system comprising:

• an air guide duct having at least one air inlet configured to be disposed forward of the front wheel wells, the air guide duct further having a first air outlet channel having a first upstream inlet opening in fluid communication with the at least one air inlet and a first downstream outlet opening and an opposing second air outlet channel having a second upstream inlet opening in fluid communication with the at least one air inlet and a second downstream outlet opening, the first downstream outlet opening configured to discharge air into an inboard side surface of one of the pair of opposing front wheel wells and the second downstream outlet opening configured to discharge air into an inboard side surface of another of the pair of opposing front wheel wells such that incoming air is guided into the pair of opposing front wheel wells;
• wherein the first and second upstream inlet openings each includes a top surface and a bottom surface;
• wherein the first and second downstream outlet openings each include a top surface and a bottom surface;
• wherein the bottom surfaces of the first and second upstream inlet openings are disposed at a first vertical height and the bottom surfaces of the first and second downstream outlet openings are disposed at a second vertical height, the bottom surfaces of the first and second downstream outlet openings being disposed lower than the bottom surfaces of the first and second upstream inlet openings, respectively, relative to the pair of opposing front wheel wells so as to mitigate water and debris ingress from the pair of opposing front wheel wells into the first and second air outlet channels.

An air flow guiding method for water ingress management through a front end of a motor vehicle, comprising:

• discharging air flow from at least one fan assembly into an air guide duct;
• directing air flow from at least one air inlet of the air guide duct, through a body of the air guide duct, and towards at least two opposing air outlet channels of the air guide duct;
• directing air flow from an upstream inlet opening of each of the at least two opposing air outlet channels towards a respective downstream outlet opening of each of the at least two opposing air outlet channels;
• discharging air flow from each of the downstream outlet openings into an inboard side surface of a respective wheel well of the motor vehicle;
• and
• mitigating water and debris ingress from the wheel wells into the at least two air outlet channels;
• wherein mitigating water and debris ingress includes positioning a lower surface of the upstream inlet openings of the at least two air outlet channels at a first vertical height and positioning a lower surface of the downstream outlet openings of the at least two air outlet channels at a second vertical height, such that the lower surface of each of the downstream outlet openings is disposed lower than the lower surface of each of the respective upstream inlet openings, relative to the wheel well.