Electric vehicle

An electric vehicle, comprising:

• left and right drive wheels;
• a brake device provided in a recessed portion of a wheel of each of the drive wheels, wherein the wheel of each of the drive wheels is driven by a drive unit;
• a vertically-swingable upper arm and a vertically-swingable lower arm extending from a vehicle body frame of the electric vehicle in a vehicle width direction;
• a knuckle connected to a distal end of the upper arm and a distal end of the lower arm, wherein the wheel of each of the drive wheels is rotatably supported by the knuckle, and wherein the drive unit is connected to the knuckle from a vehicle body center side,
• wherein the drive unit comprises an electric motor and a reducer integrated as a unit,
• wherein the electric motor is disposed such that a perpendicular line passing through a rotation center of the wheel of each of the drive wheels overlaps a motor shaft in a vehicle side view,
• wherein an upper arm portion extends obliquely upward toward a rear of the vehicle from the knuckle interposed between the wheel of each of the drive wheels and the drive unit to a position where the upper arm portion does not overlap the drive unit in the vehicle side view, and wherein the upper arm is connected to an upper end of the upper arm portion,
• wherein the drive unit comprises the electric motor being attached to one surface of a center case and the reducer being attached to another surface of the center case,
• wherein the electric motor includes a bottomed-tube-shaped motor case fastened to the center case, a stator attached to the motor case, the motor shaft rotatably supported at one end by the motor case and rotatably supported at another end by a reducer case, and a rotor attached to the motor shaft and surrounded by the stator,
• wherein the center case has a through hole through which the motor shaft penetrates,
• wherein the reducer includes the bottomed-tube-shaped reducer case fastened to the center case, a drive gear provided at a front end of the motor shaft and housed in the reducer case, a driven gear rotated by the drive gear directly or via an intermediate gear and housed in the reducer case, and an output shaft rotated by the driven gear and rotating the wheel of each of the drive wheels, and
• wherein a bearing supporting portion supporting another end of the motor shaft is provided in the reducer case and protrudes to the recessed portion of the wheel while extending at a lateral side of the knuckle.

An electric vehicle, comprising:

• left and right drive wheel means for driving the electric vehicle;
• brake means disposed in a recessed portion of each of the drive wheel means, wherein each of the drive wheel means is driven by a drive means for providing motive power;
• upper arm means and lower arm means for vertically swinging from a vehicle body frame of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction;
• knuckle means for rotatably supporting the wheel of each of the drive wheel means, said knuckle means being connected to a distal end of the upper arm means and a distal end of the lower arm means, wherein the drive means is connected to the knuckle means from a vehicle body center side,
• wherein the drive means comprises an integrated electric motor means for providing rotational force and a reducer means for reducing the output of the electric motor means, wherein the electric motor means is disposed such that a perpendicular line passing through a rotation center of the wheel of each of the drive wheel means overlaps a motor shaft in a vehicle side view, and
• wherein an upper arm portion of the knuckle means extends obliquely upward toward a rear of the vehicle from the knuckle means interposed between the wheel of each of the drive wheel means and the drive means to a position where the upper arm portion does not overlap the drive means in the vehicle side view, and wherein the upper arm means is connected to an upper end of the upper arm portion.

An electric vehicle, comprising:

• left and right drive wheel means for driving the electric vehicle;
• brake means disposed in a recessed portion of each of the drive wheel means, wherein each of the drive wheel means is driven by a drive means for providing motive power;
• upper arm means and lower arm means for vertically swinging from a vehicle body frame of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction;
• knuckle means for rotatably supporting the wheel of each of the drive wheel means, said knuckle means being connected to a distal end of the upper arm means and a distal end of the lower arm means, wherein the drive means is connected to the knuckle means from a vehicle body center side,
• wherein the drive means comprises an integrated electric motor means for providing rotational force and a reducer means for reducing the output of the electric motor means, wherein the electric motor means is disposed such that a perpendicular line passing through a rotation center of the wheel of each of the drive wheel means overlaps a motor shaft in a vehicle side view,
• wherein an upper arm portion extends obliquely upward toward a rear of the vehicle from the knuckle means interposed between the wheel of each of the drive wheel means and the drive means to a position where the upper arm portion does not overlap the drive means in the vehicle side view, and wherein the upper arm means is connected to an upper end of the upper arm portion,
• wherein the drive means comprises the electric motor means being attached to one surface of a center case and the reducer means being attached to another surface of the center case,
• wherein the electric motor means including a bottomed-tube-shaped motor case fastened to the center case, a stator means attached to the motor case, the motor shaft being rotatably supported at one end by the motor case and rotatably supported at another end by a reducer case, and a rotor means attached to the motor shaft and surrounded by the stator means,
• wherein the center case having a throughhole through which the motor shaft penetrates,
• wherein the reducer means including the bottomed-tube-shaped reducer case fastened to the center case, a drive gear provided at a front end of the motor shaft and housed in the reducer case, a driven gear rotated by the drive gear directly or via an intermediate gear and housed in the reducer case, and an output shaft rotated by the driven gear and rotating the wheel of each of the drive wheels, and
• wherein bearing supporting means are provided for supporting another end of the motor shaft in the reducer case and protruding to the recessed portion of the wheel while extending at a lateral side of the knuckle means.