Patent ID: 8251168

Claim:
An electric drive machine, comprising: an axle assembly including a central axle housing and an electric drive motor oriented along an axis and disposed within the central axle housing, the electric drive motor including a motor housing; and an air cooling system including a blower fluidly connected to and positioned upstream of an opening of the central axle housing, an airflow path through the central axle housing including an upstream segment extending from the opening to an airflow deflector and configured for airflow in a first direction along an axial path, and a downstream segment extending from the airflow deflector to the motor housing and configured for airflow in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction, along a helical path; wherein the axle assembly further includes a spindle having an external connection to the central axle housing and an internal connection to the motor housing, wherein the airflow deflector is positioned between the internal connection and the external connection.