US 12,291,106 B2
Electric vehicle and control method thereof
Tomoyuki Manabe, Kanagawa (JP); and Yukinori Tsukamoto, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD., Yokohama (JP)
Appl. No. 17/802,322
Filed by NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD., Yokohama (JP)
PCT Filed Feb. 26, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/000139
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 25, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/171050, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 2, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0087455 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. B60L 15/20 (2006.01); H02P 5/74 (2006.01)
CPC B60L 15/20 (2013.01) [H02P 5/74 (2013.01); B60L 2240/12 (2013.01); B60L 2240/421 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling an electric vehicle driven by a plurality of electric motors including a first electric motor, in which a lubricant, which is used for lubricating the electric motors and power transmission systems therefor, is used for cooling the electric motors, the method comprising:
setting torque distributions for the plurality of electric motors on the basis of a driving force required by the electric vehicle;
controlling the drive of the plurality of electric motors on the basis of the set torque distributions; and
intermittently circulating the lubricant used for cooling the first electric motor responsive to the torque distribution set for the first electric motor being less than or equal to a predetermined value which is regarded as a reference value, wherein:
when the torque distribution set for the first electric motor is less than or equal to the predetermined value which is regarded as the reference value, in a cooling system that cools the lubricant with a refrigerant different from the lubricant, the circulation of the refrigerant in the cooling system that cools the lubricant used for the first electric motor is stopped at least temporarily.