Electric vehicle

An electric vehicle comprising:

• a direct current power supply;
• an inverter configured to convert a direct current voltage of the direct current power supply to an alternative current voltage;
• a motor for traveling of the electric vehicle, the motor being configured to be rotated by the alternative current voltage;
• a smoothing capacitor connected between input terminals of the inverter;
• a discharge circuit configured to discharge electric charge of the smoothing capacitor;
• a sensor group configured to measure a travel state;
• a main control unit;
• a crash possibility determination unit configured to determine a possibility of a crash based on data output by the sensor group;
• and
• a motor control unit configured to
• i) control the inverter and the discharge circuit,
• ii) repeatedly execute a communication disruption determination for determining whether communication between the main control unit and the motor control unit is disrupted, the communication disruption determination being executed based on a periodical signal that the main control unit periodically transmits to the motor control unit,
• iii) output a communication disruption signal when the motor control unit determines that the communication is disrupted,
• iv) change a determination procedure of the communication disruption determination such that the communication disruption determination is completed in a shorter time when a crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, than when the crash possibility signal is not received prior to the communication disruption determination, the crash possibility signal being transmitted to the motor control unit by the crash possibility determination unit when there is possibility of the crash, and
• v) control the discharge circuit to discharge the electric charge of the smoothing capacitor, when the crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination and the communication disruption signal is output.