A lubricant supported electric motor includes a stator presenting an outer raceway and a rotor extending along an axis and rotatably disposed within the stator. The rotor presents an inner raceway disposed in spaced relationship with the outer raceway to define a gap therebetween, and a lubricant is disposed in the gap for supporting the rotor within the stator. At least one of the outer raceway or the inner raceway is movable radially towards or away from the other to adjust the gap and optimize operation of the lubricant supported electric motor.

An electric wheel drive system, an electric generator, a hybrid internal combustion electric vehicle, and associated methods are described that include sleeve bearings rotating on support cylinders. Fluid pumps provide lubrication and cooling. Examples include hydraulic cylinders for steering one or more electric wheel drive systems independently. Suspension is also provided to individual electric wheel drive systems independently in some examples.

A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, periodically adjusting powertrain operation of an electrified vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine to progressively influence oil quality of oil of the internal combustion engine.

An electric drive unit and method of assembling the same is disclosed. The electric drive unit includes a rotor having a rotor shaft, and gear shaft, where the rotor shaft is inserted into the gear shaft. The gear shaft is supported by two bearings, while the rotor shaft supported directly at one end by a bearing and at the other by the gear shaft. A wave spring is also disclosed that provides an axial loading to the rotor shaft. Also disclosed is a balancing ring secured to an end of the rotor via a locknut. The balancing ring can be machined in order to balance the rotor. The rotor shaft can be connected to the gear shaft via a spline connection. The rotor shaft can bear against the gear shaft via a pilot journal and pilot bore defined on the rotor shaft and gear shaft respectively.

A multi-mode vehicle thermal management system is provided that optimizes drive train operating efficiency by thermally de-coupling the drive train thermal control loop from other vehicle thermal control loops during initial vehicle start-up when drive train coolant/lubricant is cold, thus taking into account the temperature dependence of the coolant/lubricant characteristics (e.g., viscosity and density) and the effects of these characteristics on viscous drag and bearing/seal preload force.

A vehicle driveline component having a housing, a shaft received in the housing, a lubricant pathway coupled to the shaft for rotation therewith, a sleeve disposed coaxially about the lubricant pathway, and a fluid feed conduit coupled to the component housing. The lubricant pathway is disposed helically about an exterior surface of the shaft. The sleeve has a feed port. The fluid feed conduit having an outlet that is in fluid communication with the feed port. Lubricant in the lubricant pathway that has been discharged from the outlet of the fluid feed conduit travels in a predetermined axial direction along the rotary axis of the shaft when the shaft rotates about the rotary axis in a predetermined rotational direction.

An electric rotary machine case, which has a cylindrical shape and accommodates an electric rotary machine, includes a passage extending along a rotation axis direction of the electric rotary machine on an outer periphery of the electric rotary machine, and a protrusion portion protruding radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the electric rotary machine case, the protrusion portion having the passage formed inside the protrusion portion. The protrusion portion has a flat surface in a cross-section orthogonal to a rotation axis of the electric rotary machine.

A vehicle drive device includes an electric motor disposed in a wheel, a planetary gear mechanism, and a hub. The electric motor is configured to generate a drive force which drives the wheel. The drive force of the electric motor is transmitted to the planetary gear mechanism. The hub transmits a drive force of the planetary gear mechanism to the wheel. The planetary gear mechanism includes a pinion gear having a first pinion and a second pinion coaxial with the first pinion and having a smaller diameter than the first pinion, a fixed ring gear which engages with the first pinion, and a drive ring gear which engages with the second pinion and transmits a drive force to the hub. The first pinion is disposed at a position away from an end portion of the stator core in a direction in which a rotation center axis of the wheel extends.

A drive train (1) for a motor vehicle (100) has an electric machine (2) with a rotor (3), a stator (4) and an air gap (5) between the rotor (3) and the stator (4). The drive train (1) also has a transmission (6) and a cooling circuit (7) for conducting a coolant through the electric machine (2) and the transmission (6). The coolant is provided for lubricating and cooling the transmission (6) and for directly cooling electrical conductors of the stator (4). The cooling circuit (7) is provided in such a way that the coolant does not enter the air gap (5).

An in-wheel motor vehicle drive device includes an electric motor driving a drive gear, and the drive gear provided with a gear portion configured to receive drive force of the drive gear and a first wall surface extending along a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of a rotation center axis of the gear portion, the first wall surface for forming a pump chamber. The in-wheel motor vehicle drive device further includes a hub configured to transmit the drive force to the wheel, and an oil pump driven by the electric motor. The oil pump includes an oil pump cover including a second wall surface facing the first wall surface of the pump chamber, and a pump rotator arranged at a space between the first wall surface of the driven gear and the second wall surface of the oil pump cover, the pump rotator integrally rotating with the driven gear.