Disclsoed is a method for the decentralized provision of energy, preferably electricity or heat. In the method, a plurality of decentralized energy producers (1) and/or energy suppliers is located in a definable geographic region, and the energy is transported between the energy producers (1), energy suppliers, energy buyers and/or energy consumers (2) according to the offer and/or demand by mobile storage units (3), without using any cable system. A corresponding supply system for the decentralized provision of energy is also disclosed.

The disclosure is directed at an apparatus and method for optimizing fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle. Driving session data keyed to a specific driver driving a specific route is collected and used to train an optimization algorithm, which is executed on the vehicle to operate a motor-generator so as to optimize the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. An example electric converter dolly is disclosed as a platform for implementing this technique as part of a tractor-trailer vehicle configuration, which may provide certain advantages over implementation on a standalone hybrid vehicle.

A system and method of capacitance management in an agricultural vehicle and connected implement, wherein the vehicle and implement have a plurality of electric drives connected to a common connection and connectable to a direct current supply, and each electric drive has an associated Y capacitor between each direct current supply connection and the common connection, wherein the method includes receiving and summing capacitance values for each of the electric drives and comparing with a stored threshold value. If the threshold value is exceeded, a sequence of selective disconnections of individual electric drives is performed until the sum of the received capacitance values is less than or equal to the threshold value. The method may be performed manually, or automatically based on a sequence defined in a priority list until the sum of the received capacitance values is less than or equal to the threshold value.

An air supply device control system may include a sensor configured to detect a trailer to be provided in an eco-friendly commercial vehicle, an air supply device configured to compress and supply air, and a controller electrically connected to the air supply device and configured to control rotation speed of the air supply device to control the air of the air supply device, wherein the controller increases the rotation speed of the air supply device based on whether the trailer is provided in the eco-friendly commercial vehicle, which is detected by the sensor.

Vehicles with integrated power generation produced by rotation of the wheels are provided. In exemplary implementations, a vehicle includes a frame, a wheel assembly coupled to the frame, and a power generating unit. The wheel assembly includes a wheel defining a wheel axis. The wheel is configured to rotate about the wheel axis during operation of the vehicle. The wheel assembly further includes supporting components fixed about the wheel axis during operation of the vehicle. The power generating unit includes a rotating assembly rotatable with the wheel about the wheel axis, including at least one of a magnet assembly or a coil assembly, and, also includes a stationary assembly mounted to at least one of the supporting components of the wheel assembly or the frame and including the other of the magnet assembly or the coil assembly such that rotation of the wheel rotates the rotating assembly relative to the stationary assembly for generating electrical power.

A control method for an electric vehicle according to the present embodiment is a control method for an electric vehicle in which an electric motor 4 is used as a traveling drive source and deceleration is performed by a regenerative braking force of the electric motor 4. The control method includes: acquiring an accelerator operation amount; acquiring a total mass M{circumflex over ( )} of the electric vehicle; estimating a disturbance torque acting on the electric vehicle; acquiring an angular velocity of a rotary body correlated with a rotation velocity of a driving shaft 8 for driving the electric vehicle; estimating a vehicle body speed of the electric vehicle by using a transmission characteristic Gp(s) from the angular velocity of the rotary body to a speed of the electric vehicle; calculating a second torque target value Tm2 (torque specified value) for the electric motor 4 based on the acquired total mass M{circumflex over ( )} of the electric vehicle; and controlling, based on the second torque target value Tm2, a torque generated in the electric motor 4. The control method further includes: converging the second torque target value Tm2 to a disturbance torque Td as an estimated vehicle body speed V decreases, when the accelerator operation amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value and the electric vehicle stops.

Through-the-road (TTR) hybrid designs using control strategies such as an equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) or an adaptive ECMS are implemented at the supplemental torque delivering electrically-powered drive axle (or axles) in a manner that follows operational parameters or computationally estimates states of the primary drivetrain and/or fuel-fed engine, but does not itself participate in control of the fuel-fed engine or primary drivetrain. BSFC type data particular to the paired-with fuel-fed engine allows an ECMS implementation (or other similar control strategy) to adapt to efficiency curves for the particular fuel-fed engine and to improve overall efficiencies of the TTR hybrid configuration.

A low-floor electric bus includes a plurality of battery packs mounted under the floor of such that the floor inside the bus between a front axle and a rear axle of the bus is substantially flat. Each battery pack may include an enclosure and multiple battery modules positioned within the enclosure. And, each battery module may include a plurality of battery cells electrically connected together.

The present disclosure relates to controlling transfer of electrical energy in a coupling between a first vehicle and a second vehicle of a vehicle combination, each of the first and second vehicles having an electric machine and an energy storage system, wherein at least the electric machine of the second vehicle is operable in a traction mode and a generator mode for generating electrical energy during a regenerative braking event of the second vehicle, the method comprising determining an amount of possible excessive energy from the braking event of the second vehicle, determining a total energy level of the second vehicle, determining a total energy level of the first vehicle, comparing the determined amount of possible excessive energy with the determined total energy levels of the first vehicle and second vehicle, and controlling direction of the transfer of electrical energy between the first and second vehicle based on the comparison.

The disclosed technology provides a delivery trailer to be hitched to an autonomous vehicle for autonomous delivery of packages. The delivery trailer can include sensors to provide data to the autonomous vehicle to which it is to overcome limitations caused by any occlusion of sensors on the autonomous vehicle by the trailer. Furthermore, the present technology addresses several challenges related to autonomous package delivery.