A hybrid vehicle using an engine driving a generator to supply power to electric drive motors through a system power bus, and a method for controlling power regeneration in a hybrid vehicle are disclosed. Ground drive controllers associated with the drive motors are configured to determine a slope of a surface on which the vehicle is driving and set a maximum downhill speed of the vehicle based thereon. A generator controller, in response to the drive motors generating power through regenerative braking, regulates power on the bus by directing the generated power to recharge the battery when the battery has capacity, reducing an output of the generator to the bus when the battery is fully charged, and driving a driveshaft to drive the engine with the generator to consume excess power on the bus when the generator output is reduced to zero.

Hybrid or fully electric vehicle comprising: a conventional braking system based on friction bodies to brake the motor vehicle by interaction of the friction bodies in response to the operation of a brake pedal or any other equivalent control member, a reversible electric machine operatively coupled to the wheels of the vehicle and electronically controllable to operate selectively as an electric engine to generate a mechanical power to propel to the vehicle and as an electric generator to convert the kinetic energy of the motor vehicle into electrical energy, and an automotive electronic control system comprising a sensory system to measure automotive quantities, and an electronic control unit to control operation of the conventional braking system and of the electric machine in response to the operation of the brake pedal or any other operationally equivalent control member. The electronic control unit is further configured to control operation of: the electric machine to selectively perform one or more functions including regenerative braking, in which the electric machine is operated as an electric generator to recover the kinetic energy of the motor vehicle during braking and convert it into electrical energy, and the conventional braking system to clean the friction bodies of the conventional braking system based on the number of brakings performed by the conventional braking system and counted starting from the start-up of the motor vehicle.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a driveline of a hybrid vehicle powertrain, where the driveline includes an electric machine downstream of a dual clutch transmission, which is downstream of an engine. In one example, a method comprises communicating from a transmission, a torque to accelerate transmission components from a first speed to a second speed with first and second clutches of a dual transmission open, the communicating performed while an electric machine coupled to the dual clutch transmission at a location downstream of the dual clutch transmission is providing torque to propel a vehicle. In this way, wheel speed may remain substantially constant while the transmission is shifted and the engine is stopped.

A control apparatus for an electric vehicle includes a first motor (traveling motor) for traveling, a battery (high-voltage battery), a second motor (generator motor) for electricity generation, an engine (rotary engine), a first controller (engine ECU), a second controller (motor ECU), and a sensor (voltage-current sensor). The second controller is configured to start the engine by causing the second motor to perform power running, cause the second motor to perform electricity generation driving such that the battery is charged, and adjust a stop position of the engine by causing the second motor to perform power running subsequently to a stop of the engine by the first controller in a case where a state of charge of the battery becomes high and the second motor finishes the electricity generation driving.

A fire fighting vehicle includes a front axle, a rear axle, an engine, an energy storage device, an electromechanical transmission, a fluid tank configured to store a fluid, a pump configured to provide the fluid from the fluid tank to a fluid outlet, and a power divider positioned between the engine, the pump, and the electromechanical transmission. The power divider includes a first interface coupled to the engine, a second interface coupled to the pump, and a third interface coupled to the electromechanical transmission. The electromechanical transmission is (i) selectively mechanically coupled to the engine by the power divider and (ii) electrically coupled to the energy storage device to facilitate driving at least one of the front axle or the rear axle. The pump is selectively mechanically coupled to the engine by the power divider to facilitate pumping the fluid to the fluid outlet.

A fire fighting vehicle includes a chassis, tractive elements coupled to the chassis, a pump coupled to the chassis, a discharge fluidly coupled to the pump, an accessory module coupled to the chassis, and an electric motor coupled to the chassis, the pump, and the accessory module. The accessory module is configured to receive mechanical energy and provide at least one of electrical energy or fluid energy. The electric motor is configured to drive (a) the pump to provide fluid to the discharge such that the fluid is expelled from the discharge and (b) the accessory module to provide the at least one of electrical energy or fluid energy.

A fire fighting vehicle includes a powertrain including an engine, a battery pack, and an electromechanical transmission; a power divider; and a controller. The power divider is positioned between the engine, the pump, and the electromechanical transmission. The controller is configured to monitor a state-of-charge of the battery pack and operate the engine, the power divider, and the electromechanical transmission such that the state-of-charge is maintained above a minimum state-of-charge threshold that is sufficient to facilitate (i) accelerating the fire fighting vehicle to a driving speed of at least 50 miles-per-hour in an acceleration time and (ii) maintaining or exceeding the driving speed for a period of time. An aggregate of the acceleration time and the period of time is at least three minutes.

A fire fighting vehicle includes a powertrain, an accessory drive, and a controller. The powertrain includes an engine, an energy storage device, and an electromechanical transmission (i) electrically coupled to the energy storage device and (ii) selectively mechanically coupled to the engine. The electromechanical transmission is configured to (a) selectively drive a front axle and/or a rear axle and (b) selectively generate energy for storage in the energy storage device as stored energy. The accessory drive is positioned to receive a mechanical input from the engine and the electromechanical transmission. The controller is configured to selectively operate the powertrain in (i) a standby mode by operating the electromechanical transmission using the stored energy to drive the accessory drive with the engine off and (ii) a rollout mode by operating the electromechanical transmission using the stored energy to drive the front axle and/or the rear axle with the engine off.

A vehicle drive device includes: an electric motor; a multi-plate clutch including a plurality of clutch plates; a pressing mechanism configured to press the multi-plate clutch; an output rotary member to which a drive force of the electric motor is transferred through the multi-plate clutch; and a control device configured to control the electric motor and the pressing mechanism. The control device is configured to control the pressing mechanism using information on the result of test operation performed while the vehicle is stationary.

During a hybrid drive, a hybrid vehicle sets an engine required power based on a driving required power and controls an engine to output the engine required power, while controlling a motor to drive the hybrid vehicle with the driving required power. When a catalyst temperature of an exhaust emission control device is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature that requires warming up, in the state that an output upper limit power which a power storage device is allowed to output is equal to or larger than a predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets a power calculated by subtracting the output upper limit power from the driving required power, to the engine required power. In the state that the output upper limit power is smaller than the predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets the driving required power to the engine required power.