Patent ID: 7654352

Claim:
An electric vehicle comprising a battery unit mounted in a vehicle body, comprising: a pair of side members arranged spaced from each other in a width direction of the vehicle body, wherein the battery unit includes a battery case arranged between the side members and fixed to the vehicle body and a battery module composed of a plurality of battery cells contained in the battery case, the battery case includes a tray member, which supports the battery cells thereon, and a cover member fixed to the tray member so as to be superposed thereon, the tray member is fixed to the pair of side members by a beam member extending in the width direction of the vehicle body, each of sidewalls of the tray member has resin portions made of resin, the sidewalls are arranged along the side members, each of the battery cells includes sheet-like cell elements including a positive electrode and a negative electrode laminated within a shell member, at least those battery cells on an outer peripheral side which are located near a flank of the vehicle body, among all the battery cells contained in the battery case, are located on the tray member so that a lamination direction of the battery cell elements is coincident with the width direction of the vehicle body, the resin portions of each sidewall of the tray member are arranged between each side member and side surface portions of battery cells located on the outer peripheral side, an upper end of each sidewall is opposed to the side surface portion between upper and lower ends of each corresponding battery cell located on the outer peripheral side, and the side surface portion of the battery cell on the outer peripheral side is pressed by the side wall in the lamination direction when the side member is deformed toward the battery cells.