A method for controlling a lower limit of a state of charge of a power battery and a vehicle is provided. The method provided by the present disclosure includes: detecting a minimum ambient temperature for at least a period of time; predicting a minimum ambient temperature within a preset period of time after the at least a period of time according to the minimum ambient temperature within the at least a period of time; determining, according to the minimum ambient temperature within the preset period of time, a minimum state of charge value that able to meet power requirements for starting an engine of a vehicle under the minimum ambient temperature within the preset period of time; and adjusting a lower limit of the state of charge according to the minimum state of charge value.

A vehicle control apparatus includes a controller that switches a vehicle between an HEV traveling mode and an EV traveling mode. When the output current of a DC-to-DC converter becomes equal to or higher than a threshold, the controller decreases the output current by decreasing the output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter through output regulation control. The controller makes switching between a normal setting in which the threshold for the output regulation control is set to a reference threshold and a boost setting in which the threshold is set to a boost threshold higher than the reference threshold. The controller prohibits the boost setting when a power margin for boosting becomes equal to or lower than a first power margin value in the HEV traveling mode and when the power margin for the boosting becomes equal to or lower than a second power margin value in the EV traveling mode.

A rechargeable battery jump starting device with a dual battery diode bridge system. The dual battery diode bridge, for example, is configured to protect against a back-charge to a first 12V battery and/or a second 12V battery after a vehicle has been jump charged to prevent damage thereto.

Spark ignition engine operation at higher RPM so as to reduce alcohol requirements in high efficiency alcohol enhanced gasoline engines is disclosed. Control of engine upspeeding (use of a higher ratio of engine RPM to wheel RPM) so as to achieve an alcohol reduction objective while limiting any decrease in efficiency is described. High RPM alcohol enhanced gasoline engine operation in plug-in series hybrid powertrains for heavy duty trucks and other vehicles is also described.

A multifunctional battery health state detection device is disclosed, which includes a housing, two ignition clamps for connecting to a vehicle battery; a microcontroller; a sampling circuit connected to the two ignition clamps for sampling a voltage signal of the vehicle battery; and an indicator unit including a plurality of indicators configured to display a ranking of the battery health state of the vehicle battery. The microcontroller is configured to obtain the sampled voltage signal from the sampling circuit, detect the ranking of the battery health state based on the sampled voltage signal, and control the indicator unit to display the battery health state according to the ranking of the battery health stat, and boost the vehicle battery by providing starting energy from a portable power supply to the vehicle battery in response to detecting the battery health state being one of two lowest rankings among a plurality of rankings.

An apparatus for jump starting a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a first and a second ignition clamp, a sampling circuit configured to sample polarity output signal from the vehicle battery when each of the first and the second ignition clamps is connected to a respective one of the first and the second terminals of the vehicle battery, a polarity determining circuit configured to determine, based on the sampled polarity output signal, a polarity of the first and the second terminal of the vehicle battery, and a clamp polarity switching circuit configured to connect the first and the second ignition clamps to a portable power supply, and enable, in response to the determined respective polarities of the first and the second terminals of the vehicle battery, a polarity on the first and on the second ignition clamps to be the same as that of the corresponding terminal connected thereto.

It is possible to accurately estimate a starting current and calculate a precise starting minimum voltage without being influenced by a change in a storage battery state or a starting state by updating a current/voltage correlation characteristic corresponding to a deterioration state of a storage battery each time a current/voltage data set obtained when a starter is driven is newly stored in association with the deterioration state of the storage battery and by calculating the starting current corresponding to a present voltage immediately before start in accordance with the current/voltage correlation characteristic corresponding to the present deterioration state of the storage battery when determination is made as to whether or not to drive the starter.

An engine including an engine block having a cylinder defining a front of the engine, a blower housing coupled to the engine block and defining a hot half positioned adjacent the front of the engine and a cool half opposite the hot half, and an electric starter system positioned within the blower housing. The electric starting system includes a starter mount assembly coupled to the blower housing, an electric starter motor retained by the starter mount assembly and positioned in the cool half, and a battery mounted to the blower housing and positioned in the cool half. The battery is electrically coupled to the electric starter motor.

An internal combustion engine includes an engine block, a crankshaft configured to rotate about a crankshaft axis, a flywheel coupled to the crankshaft and positioned above the engine block, an outer housing positioned above the engine block and the flywheel, and an electric starting system. The electric starting system includes an electric motor and an energy storage device positioned above the flywheel and below the outer housing. The energy storage device is electrically coupled to the electric motor to power the electric motor. When the electric starting system is configured to rotate the crankshaft to start the engine when the electric starting system is activated.

An engine-driven generator may comprise an engine, a generator, a motor, a battery, a power supply circuit, and a processor. The processor may be configured to detect that the battery has a sufficient power supply capability that enables a piston of the engine to pass over a compression top dead center, at the start of the engine. The processor may permit ignition of the engine in a case where the processor has detected that the battery has the sufficient power supply capability. The processor may avoid the ignition of the engine in a case where the processor has not detected that the battery has the sufficient power supply capability.