Cooling structure an electric vehicle

A cooling structure in an electric vehicle in which an electric part connected to at least one of a traveling motor and batteries for supplying current to said motor is cooled by cooling air from a cooling fan, said cooling structure comprising:

• a cooling air passage for flowing of the cooling air from said cooling fan, said cooling air passage being disposed adjacent an electric part accommodating chamber in which said electric part is accommodated;
• cooling fins extending from said electric part accommodated in said electric part accommodating chamber being disposed to protrude into said cooling air passage;
• and
• a battery box housing said batteries and said electric part accommodating chamber, and having said cooling air passage defined therein, said passage having a first portion in which said batteries are disposed and a second portion in which said cooling fins are disposed, said first and second portions extending continuously from each other such that the cooling air from the cooling fan cools the batteries, as well as the cooling fins.

A cooling structure in an electric vehicle comprising:

• a motor;
• a plurality of batteries for providing electric current to said motor;
• an electric part connected to at least one of said batteries and said motor;
• a battery box housing said batteries and said electric part;
• and
• cooling means associated with said battery box and including a single cooling fan for supplying cooling air to said batteries and said electric part;
• said battery box having a cooling air passage defined therein, said passage having a first portion in which said batteries are disposed and a second portion in which cooling fins extending from said electric part are disposed, said first and second portions extending continuously from each other, and said first portion of the cooling air passage having a larger sectional area than that of the second portion such that a flow rate of the cooling air in the first portion is smaller than a flow rate of the cooling air in the second portion.