Patent attributes
To secure safety in an electric vehicle during charging, the electric vehicle is provided with a high voltage battery and a charging port portion for charging the high voltage battery. A power reception connector and a connector locking mechanism are provided in the charging port portion, and a fitting hole is formed in a power supply connector disposed on an external power supply side. The connector locking mechanism is switched between a restrained condition, in which a locking pin is inserted into the fitting hole, and a released condition, in which the locking pin is retracted from the fitting hole. A vehicle control unit for controlling the connector locking mechanism switches the connector locking mechanism to the restrained condition when a door is locked, and switches the connector locking mechanism to the released condition when the door is unlocked. Thus, the connection condition between the power reception connector and the power supply connector can be maintained even when a passenger locks the door and moves away from the electric vehicle, and as a result, safety can be secured during charging.
