US-12626991-B2 - Motor vehicle with a high voltage battery

US12626991B2US 12626991 B2US12626991 B2US 12626991B2US-12626991-B2

Abstract

A motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery, and a method of manufacturing such a motor vehicle. The high-voltage battery includes a battery housing having a tank defined by at least lateral tank walls and a tank cover to cover the lateral tank walls at an upper region of the lateral tank walls and which leaves an open at a bottom region of the tank that is covered by a carrier plate forming the base of the high-voltage battery, and a plurality of battery cells mounted vertically on the carrier plate in the battery housing such that electrical contacts of the battery cells are oriented upwardly and cell bases of the battery cells are oriented downwardly.

Inventors

Bernhard Hofer
Thomas Mokina
Werner Schwarzl

Assignees

MAGNA STEYR FAHRZEUGTECHNIK GMBH & CO KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240304
Priority Date: 20230313

Claims (18)

1 . A motor vehicle comprising: a high-voltage battery including a battery housing having a tank defined by at least lateral tank walls and a tank cover to cover the lateral tank walls at an upper region of the lateral tank walls, and which leaves an open at a bottom region of the tank that is covered by a carrier plate forming the base of the high-voltage battery, wherein the lateral tank walls and the tank cover are formed as a single, unitary component; lateral sills upon which the tank is mounted from below, wherein the lateral tank walls form at least part of the lateral sills; and a plurality of battery cells mounted vertically on the carrier plate in the battery housing such that electrical contacts of the battery cells are oriented upwardly and cell bases of the battery cells are oriented downwardly.
2 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a cell carrier integrally formed with the carrier plate and upon which the battery cells are mounted vertically.
3 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a cell carrier attached to the carrier plate and upon which the battery cells are mounted vertically.
4 . The motor vehicle of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of cooling plates arranged on the cell carrier and beneath the battery cells.
5 . The motor vehicle of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of crossmembers of a support structure of the motor vehicle that are arranged within the tank.
6 . The motor vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the crossmembers are integrally formed with the cell carrier.
7 . The motor vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the crossmembers are welded to the cell carrier.
8 . The motor vehicle of claim 7 , wherein each battery cell is mounted vertically on the crossmembers in spaces between adjacent crossmembers, such that a plurality of parallel rows of battery cells extend between the crossmembers.
9 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the carrier plate forms an under-run protection plate of the motor vehicle.
10 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the tank cover forms a floor panel of the motor vehicle.
11 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the tank cover is fastened from below to a floor panel.
12 . The motor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the tank cover has fastening points to facilitate connection of seat crossmembers to the tank cover.
13 . A method of manufacturing the motor vehicle of claim 1 , the method comprising: forming the tank as a die-cast component via a megacasting process such that fastening points for seat crossmembers are integrated into the tank.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising: inserting, in a pre-assembly process, the battery cells into the carrier plate; attaching, after inserting the battery cells into the carrier plate, the carrier plate to the tank; and mounting the high-voltage battery from below on lateral sills of the motor vehicle.
15 . A high-voltage battery for a motor vehicle having lateral sills, the high-voltage battery comprising: a battery housing having a tank mounted from below upon the lateral sills, the tank being defined by at least lateral tank walls and a tank cover to cover the lateral tank walls at an upper region of the lateral tank walls and which leaves an open at a bottom region of the tank that is covered by a carrier plate forming the base of the high-voltage battery, wherein the lateral tank walls and the tank cover are formed as a single, unitary component, and wherein the lateral tank walls form at least part of the lateral sills; and a plurality of battery cells mounted vertically on the carrier plate in the battery housing such that electrical contacts of the battery cells are oriented upwardly and cell bases of the battery cells are oriented downwardly.
16 . The high-voltage battery of claim 15 , further comprising a cell carrier attached to the carrier plate and upon which the battery cells are mounted vertically.
17 . The high-voltage battery of claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of cooling plates arranged on the cell carrier and beneath the battery cells.
18 . The high-voltage battery of claim 15 , wherein the tank cover forms a floor panel of the motor vehicle.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to European Patent Publication No. EP 23161464.5, filed on Mar. 13, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its complete entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery, and to a method for manufacturing such a motor vehicle. BACKGROUND It is known that high-voltage batteries can be installed in motor vehicles, in particular as traction batteries to provide electrical energy for driving the motor vehicle. The battery then has a battery housing that accommodates the cell modules. Battery housings are usually made up of various individual parts. The battery housing is installed in an underbody via bolts, and can be demounted. The tightness of the vehicle body is ensured by corresponding components in the floor assembly and is not dependent on the battery housing. Other than at the bolt points, there is usually a gap of at least a few millimetres between the battery and the vehicle structure, in order to prevent rubbing during operation (noise, corrosion . . . ), but also to enable collision-free mounting. For servicing or repair, it is necessary for the entire battery unit to be removed from the vehicle. SUMMARY It is an object of the disclosure to specify a motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery, the high-voltage battery having a small installation space requirement, such that the energy content in the high-voltage store can be increased, and thus the range of the vehicle is extended, while the weight and manufacturing costs are also low. A further object is to specify a simple and cost-effective method for the manufacture of such a motor vehicle. The object is achieved by a motor vehicle having a high-voltage battery, the high-voltage battery comprising a battery housing, the battery housing comprising at least lateral walls and a cover that covers the lateral walls at the top, there being a plurality of battery cells arranged in the battery housing, the lateral walls and the cover being realized in one piece by a tank that is open at the bottom, a carrier plate forming the base of the high-voltage battery that covers the tank on its underside, the battery cells being mounted vertically on the carrier plate such that the electrical contacts of the battery cells are oriented upwards and the cell bases are oriented downwards. In accordance with the disclosure, a high-voltage storage device has a battery housing that, in contrast to conventional construction methods, does not use separate lateral housing or frame components or a separate cover, but rather a tank, which realizes the lateral walls and the cover of the battery housing, which is on top when in the installed position in the vehicle. This inverted tank may be easily and inexpensively fitted with additional battery components such as, in particular, battery cells, and built into the vehicle body in a structurally integrated manner. This tank may at the same time seal off the floor assembly from below. The tank may be directly flush with the floor panel of the vehicle and/or realize the floor panel in some areas, for example. A significant advantage of this solution is the gain in installation space in the Z-direction, as the air gap that usually has to be maintained between the battery cover and the floor panel can be omitted here. Dispensing with separate components, such as a separate battery cover or separate lateral parts, or frame components, can also offer an advantage in terms of a cost and weight. The battery cells may be mounted in a simple and cost-effective manner on a carrier plate, which forms the base of the battery housing. After the carrier plate has been fitted with the battery cells, and preferably after the battery cells have been electrically connected, the fully fitted carrier plate may be joined to the tank, in particular bolted in order to close the battery housing. The finished high-voltage battery may then be fitted into a vehicle body, preferably by use of mechanical joining elements such as bolts or rivets, in addition to an assembly adhesive, such that continuous vehicle production is possible without the vehicle having to be discharged in order for the adhesive to harden. Developments of the disclosure are specified in the dependent claims, the description and the accompanying drawings. Preferably, the battery cells are mounted vertically on a cell carrier, the cell carrier being realized integrally from the carrier plate or being joined to the carrier plate. The battery cells are thus mounted on the carrier plate indirectly, via the cell carrier. Particularly preferably, there is at least one or a plurality of flat cooling plates arranged on the cell carrier, beneath the battery cells. The carrier plate preferably realizes an under-run protection plate of the motor vehicle. The battery cells may be accessed from below via the preferably demountable