US Patent 7819431 Fuel tank supporting structure

Fuel tanks (52, 54, 56) are disposed in parallel along a vehicle transverse direction on a rear sub frame (40). The fuel tank (54) is placed on fuel tank supporting brackets (62) which span between a cross rail (46) and a cross rail (48) of the rear sub frame (40). In a case in which an impact load F1 is applied to the fuel tank (56), the fuel tank (56) abuts a rear cross member (20), and upward movement is impeded. Therefore, weak portions (70) of the fuel tank supporting brackets (62) break, and the fuel tank (54) limitedly moves toward a bottom of a vehicle body.