Conventionally, electric-drive vehicles configured such that a motor room is formed in a front part of the vehicle, left and right front side frames extending in vehicle longitudinal directions are provided at both left and right sides of the motor room, an electric motor is disposed between the pair of left and right front side frames, and left and right wheels are driven by the electric motor as a power source, are known.
DE102009040896A1 and DE102011113198A1 disclose such electric-drive vehicles. DE102009040896A1 discloses an electric-drive vehicle in which left and right front side frames extending in vehicle longitudinal directions are provided at both left and right sides inside a motor room, a cross member extending in vehicle width directions is bridged between the left and right front side frames, and a vehicle driving motor is suspended below the cross member.
In DE102009040896A1, if an electric unit including an inverter is placed on the cross member, some parts, including a radiator, move rearward when a frontal collision of the vehicle occurs, and these rearwardly-moved parts collide with and damage the electric unit. Therefore, there is room for improvement.
DE102011113198A1 discloses an electric-drive vehicle in which a cross member is bridged in vehicle width directions via mount components between left and right front side frames inside a motor room, a vehicle driving motor is supported below the cross member, the cross member is formed in a square cylindrical container with a bottom at one end and opened the other, upper end, and an electric unit containing an inverter is accommodated in the cross member.
However, since in DE102011113198A1 the cross member is formed like a container, its mass becomes excessive. Therefore, there is room for improvement.