A side load-transmitting member extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and transmitting a load applied to a vehicle-inward side from a vehicle-outward side toward the vehicle-inward side is provided inside a side sill. A lower portion of the side sill is provided to overlap a battery case in a vehicle side view. The side load-transmitting member comprises a first vertical wall portion provided to overlap a floor-side cross member in the vehicle side view and a second vertical wall portion provided to overlap the battery case in the vehicle side view.

A vehicle-body structure comprises a dash panel, a pair of right-and-left front side frames, a pair of right-and-left side sills, a pair of right-and-left first longitudinal load-transmitting members respectively extending from respective vehicle-rear portions of the right-and-left front side frames to the right-and-left side sills along an upper face of the floor panel, and a pair of right-and-left second longitudinal load-transmitting members respectively extending from the respective vehicle-rear portions of the right-and-left front side frames toward a vehicle-front portion of the battery case along a lower face of the floor panel.

A lower structure for a vehicle includes a battery unit which is provided under a vehicle body floor, a frame member which extends in a front-rear direction on a vehicle-width-direction outer side of the battery unit, a high-voltage cable which extends forward from a front portion of the battery unit, and a fixing member which fixes a rear portion of the battery unit to the frame member, and the fixing member is configured to be fractured when an inward collision load in a vehicle width direction is input to a position in front of a position of a center of gravity of a first battery unit.

There are provided a pair of side sills provided at both outward sides, in a vehicle width direction, of a vehicle body and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, first and second battery units provided below a floor panel on respective inward sides, in the vehicle width direction, of and adjacently to the side sills, the first and second battery units being spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction, and a connecting member interconnecting the first and second battery units. The connecting member comprises a vehicle-width-direction connection portion to interconnect the first and second battery units so as to transmit a load, in the vehicle width direction, therebetween and plural deformation promotion portions provided adjacently to the vehicle-width-direction connection portion so as to cause deformation at the vehicle-width-direction connection portion when receiving the load caused by a vehicle side collision.

A vehicle may include: a floor panel; a rocker extending along a side edge of the floor panel; a rear side member located on a rear side of the rocker and extending along a front-rear direction of the vehicle; and a suspension. The suspension may include a trailing arm; and a bracket connected to the trailing arm via a bush. The bracket may be fastened to the rocker at a first fastening point by a first bolt and fastened to the rear side member at a second fastening point by a second bolt.

A motor vehicle shell of a motor vehicle includes a frame structure that is formed by crossmembers and by longitudinal members. The frame structure is closed peripherally and protrudes downwardly in a vertical direction of the motor vehicle from a base element. A receiving chamber for receiving an electrical energy store is delimited by the frame structure. A cover is formed separately from the frame structure and is disposed opposite the base element. The receiving chamber is closed downwardly in the vertical direction of the motor vehicle by the cover. An annular and dimensionally stable intermediary element is formed separately from the frame structure and separately from the cover. The intermediary element is disposed between the frame structure and the cover and the intermediary element is fixed at least in a liquid-tight manner on the frame structure by a firmly bonded connection.

A storage device for storing electric energy for a motor vehicle includes a storage housing that has a receiving area in which multiple storage cells for storing electric energy are received, and at least one housing part which at least partly delimits the receiving area. The housing part is reinforced by way of at least one reinforcing element formed separately from the housing part in at least one subregion. The reinforcing element has multiple separate through openings arranged at a distance from one another.

A rear suspension cross member (4) is suspended and supported on a lower side of a floor (2), and a drive unit (8) including a driving motor (9), an inverter (10) and a transaxle (11) is mounted on the rear suspension cross member (4). A power supply unit (20) including a junction box (21), a charger (22) and a DC-AC inverter (23) is mounted on the floor (2), and a terminal block (21a) of the junction box (21) is connected to a terminal block (10a) of the inverter (10) via a motor-side power cable (42). The junction box (21) and the inverter (10) are disposed on opposite sides of each other with respect to a center line (L) in the left-right direction of the vehicle body.

On a lower side of a floor (2), a battery storage section (31) is formed on a front side of a cross member (27) that connects left and right side members (3l, 3r) to dispose a driving battery (34), a tank storage section (30) is formed on a rear side to dispose a fuel tank (32) and a driving motor (9) is disposed on a rear side of the tank storage section (30). A power cable (26) from a terminal block (34a) of the driving battery (34) is routed and fixed as appropriate so as to bypass the fuel tank (32) via the left side of the fuel tank (32) in the tank storage section (30) and connected to the driving motor (9) via a junction box (21). In an extra length routing area (37) on a side wall (27a) of the cross member (27), an extra length area (26a) is formed by slackening the power cable (26) in a semicircular shape.

A traction battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a lower tier of battery arrays, an upper tier of battery arrays, and a support structure disposed between the lower tier and the upper tier. The lower tier is suspended from a downwardly facing side of the support structure. The upper tier is disposed atop an upwardly facing side of the support structure.