IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,576,731
Granted Patent B2
US 12,576,731 · App. 18/544,442 · Granted Mar 17, 2026

Fuel cell electric vehicle

Inventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa (Toyota, JP); Yuchi Yamanouchi (Toyota, JP); Takuro Mizushima (Susono, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60L50/75B60K1/04B60K15/063B60L1/00B60K2015/03315B60K2015/0634H01M8/22H01M2250/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,576,731
App. No.
18/544,442
Granted
Mar 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fuel cell electric vehicle comprises a fuel cell; a pair of side rails extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle under a floor of the vehicle; a plurality of hydrogen tanks disposed under the floor of the vehicle, at a rear side of a front wheel, and at a front side of a rear wheel; and a main battery for storing electric power generated by the fuel cell, wherein the plurality of hydrogen tanks include two or more hydrogen tanks arranged in parallel in a vehicle width direction between the pair of side rails, and the main battery is disposed on the floor of the vehicle at a rear portion of the vehicle.

Claims (31)

1 . A fuel cell electric vehicle comprising:

a fuel cell;

a pair of side rails extending in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle under a floor of the vehicle;

a plurality of hydrogen tanks disposed under the floor of the vehicle, at a rear side of a front wheel, and at a front side of a rear wheel; and

a main battery for storing electric power generated by the fuel cell, wherein

the plurality of hydrogen tanks include two or more hydrogen tanks arranged in parallel in a vehicle width direction between the pair of side rails, and

the main battery is disposed on the floor of the vehicle at a rear portion of the vehicle.

2 . The fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:

an external power supply unit that includes an inverter and supplies the electric power of the main battery to an external device; and

an exhaust pipe that guides exhaust air, which is cooling air after cooling the external power supply unit, to the outside, wherein

the external power supply unit is disposed adjacent to a front side of the main battery on the floor of the vehicle,

the exhaust pipe includes an exhaust port for exhausting an exhaust gas, and

the exhaust port faces outward in the vehicle width direction above the floor of the vehicle.

3 . The fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:

a drive unit that includes a rotary electric machine and rotationally drives wheels, wherein

the plurality of hydrogen tanks include two inner hydrogen tanks and two outer hydrogen tanks,

the two inner hydrogen tanks are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction between the pair of side rails,

the two outer hydrogen tanks are disposed so as to sandwich the pair of side rails and the two inner hydrogen tanks in the vehicle width direction,

the drive unit is disposed between the pair of side rails and rearward of the two inner hydrogen tanks, and

the two outer hydrogen tanks are arranged offset rearward of the vehicle relative to the two inner hydrogen tanks.

4 . The fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 3 further comprising:

an entrance opening formed in a side surface of the vehicle;

an entrance step disposed adjacent to an inner side of the entrance opening in a vehicle width direction below a floor surface; and

an auxiliary battery, wherein

the rear wheel is a drive wheel,

the drive unit is disposed between left and right rear wheels,

each of the two outer hydrogen tanks is disposed adjacent to a front side of the rear wheel,

the auxiliary battery is disposed adjacent to a front side of one of the two outer hydrogen tanks,

the entrance step is disposed adjacent a front side of the auxiliary battery.

5 . The fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein

the fuel cell is disposed closer to a front of the vehicle than the plurality of hydrogen tanks.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2023
From: SHINAGAWA, TOMOHIRO; YAMANOUCHI, YUCHI; MIZUSHIMA, TAKURO
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 065904/0806 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-208114 · Dec 26, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240208339A1 · Jun 27, 2024
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