Cable Assembly for an Electric Vehicle that Includes Floor Supported and Sub-Floor Components

Abstract

A power supply cable including high voltage wires and connectors for a traction motor, charger, upper battery pack and lower battery pack. The power supply cable includes a clamshell shield housing that protects the cable as it is routed over a rear seat pedestal. A two-piece grommet is provided to seal between the passenger compartment and the underbody of the vehicle and includes a rigid attachment ring and a seal that seals the passenger compartment from the environment below the vehicle.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A shield for an electric vehicle having wiring harness including a plurality of wires that are routed over a seat pedestal, the shield comprising:
 a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, wherein the side walls are limited in height to space the top wall from the bottom wall to correspond to a width of a widest of the plurality of wires to minimize the height of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The shield of  claim 1  wherein the top wall may be separated from the housing to facilitate assembling the wires inside the housing. 
     
     
         3 . The shield of  claim 2  wherein the housing is a clamshell structure wherein the top wall is provided on one part of the clamshell structure and the bottom wall is provided on a second part of the clamshell structure. 
     
     
         4 . The shield of  claim 2  wherein the side walls are split into two parts with a first part being separated from the housing with the top wall and a second part remaining with the bottom wall. 
     
     
         5 . The shield of  claim 1  wherein the seat pedestal is at least partially covered by a rear seat pan that is attached to the top of the seat pedestal. 
     
     
         6 . The shield of  claim 1  wherein the housing is rectangular in cross-section and the plurality of wires are laterally aligned within the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The shield of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of wires connects a lower stack of battery cells to an upper stack of battery cells and to an electric traction motor. 
     
     
         8 . A wiring harness for an electric vehicle having a battery compartment disposed behind a seat, the wiring harness comprising:
 an electrically powered traction motor;   a battery pack including a upper stack of battery cells connected to a lower stack of battery cells by a first set of wires, the battery pack being connected by a second set of wires to the traction motor, wherein the first set of wires is connected to the battery at a transversely intermediate point on the battery; and   a shield for the first set of wires that partially encloses the first set of wires as the wires are routed across a top portion of a seat pedestal to a side of the seat pedestal, wherein the side of the seat pedestal defines an opening that the first and second sets of wires extend from inside the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle.   
     
     
         9 . The wiring harness of  claim 8  wherein the shield is a housing that includes at least two parts that are assembled together to form an enclosure for the wires that is has a height that is less than a width of the enclosure. 
     
     
         10 . The wiring harness of  claim 9  wherein the housing is a two part clamshell housing that includes a base portion and a top portion that are assembled together about the wires to form a rectangular housing. 
     
     
         11 . The wiring harness of  claim 10  wherein the wires are laterally aligned within the rectangular housing. 
     
     
         12 . The wiring harness of  claim 8  further comprising a grommet and a seal assembled to the wiring harness that is assembled within the opening defined in the seat pedestal. 
     
     
         13 . The wiring harness of  claim 12  wherein the grommet is a rigid member and the seal is a flexible member that is between the grommet and the first set of wires. 
     
     
         14 . The wiring harness of  claim 12  wherein the first set of wires is not contained within a housing between the shield and the seal where the first set of wires is routed along the side of the seat pedestal. 
     
     
         15 . The wiring harness of  claim 8  wherein the first set of wires connects the lower stack of battery cells to the upper stack of battery cells. 
     
     
         16 . A wiring harness for an electric vehicle having an electrically powered traction motor and a first battery pack, a second battery pack and a charger port inlet, the wiring harness comprising:
 a first pair of wires connecting the first battery pack to the second battery pack in series;   a second pair of wires connecting the first battery pack and the second battery pack to the traction motor;   a third pair of wires connecting the charger port inlet to the first battery pack and the second battery pack, and   an underbody shield provided on the second pair of wires that shields the second pair of wires.   
     
     
         17 . The wiring harness of  claim 16  further comprising:
 a bracket provided on the third pair of wires that attaches the third pair of wires to a grounding location; and 
 a ground wire connecting the third pair of wires to the grounding location.