Electric vehicle and method for controlling the same

An electric vehicle comprising:

• a body portion;
• an operating section that detects an operating direction and an operating amount of an inputted operation;
• an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles existing in a vicinity of the body portion;
• an obstacle determination section that forms a search region extending from the body portion in the operating direction and determines an obstacle existing in the search region among the obstacles detected by the obstacle sensor as an obstacle to be avoided;
• and
• a control section that controls a movement of the body portion so that the body portion avoids the obstacle to be avoided determined by the obstacle determination section, wherein
• the obstacle determination section changes a shape of the search region depending on a magnitude of the operating amount or a magnitude of an operating force calculated based on the operating direction and the operating amount,
• the electric vehicle further comprises:
• a virtual repulsive force calculation section that calculates a virtual repulsive force to move the body portion away from the obstacle to be avoided determined by the obstacle determination section;
• and
• a resultant force calculation section that calculates a resultant force composed of the operating force calculated based on the operating direction and the operating amount of the inputted operation, and the virtual repulsive force, and
• the control section controls the movement of the body portion so that the body portion moves in a direction of the resultant force.