A solar powered display assembly and related systems and methods are disclosed. A controller is interposed between an electronic display at a housing, an alternative power source external to, but electrically connected to the display assembly at a housing, and a solar energy harvesting device. The controller determines a power requirement for operating the display assembly, determines power available from the solar energy harvesting device, and where the power available from the solar energy harvesting device meets or exceeds the power requirement, sources operational power from the solar energy harvesting device. Where the power available from the solar energy harvesting device falls below the power requirement, the controller sources the power available from the solar energy harvesting device as a portion of the operational power, and sources supplemental power from the alternative power source.

An electric vehicle includes: an electric motor; an engine; a power transmission device; a drive casing that houses a drive apparatus including the electric motor and the power transmission device; a first electrical casing; and a second electrical casing. The drive casing, the first electrical casing and the second electrical casing cooperate to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit. The drive casing has a first wall surface, a second wall surface, a third wall surface, a fourth wall surface, a fifth wall surface and a sixth wall surface. The engine is disposed on the first wall surface, and is connected to an input shaft of the power transmission device on a side of the first wall surface. The first electrical casing and the second electrical casing are separately disposed on respective two of the second wall surface, third wall surface, fourth wall surface, fifth wall surface and sixth wall surface.

An apparatus of the subject technology comprises a battery pack configured to provide power for an electrical vehicle (EV), and a motor powered by a fuel supplied by a fuel tank and configured to provide mechanical power for one or more electrical machines. The one or more electrical machines are configured to generate a direct current (DC) voltage for keeping the battery pack fully charged, and the battery pack, the motor and the one or more electrical machines are enclosed in a battery-system enclosure.

A vehicle driving device includes an engine, an electric pump, an electric heater, a starter motor, and a control system. The control system calculates a first actual viscosity of an engine oil based on a load torque of an electric pump. The control system causes an electric heater to operate by supplying a first energy to the electric heater and calculates a second actual viscosity of the engine oil based on the load torque of the electric pump. The control system calculates, based on the second actual viscosity of the engine oil and a target viscosity of the engine oil, a second energy that is to be supplied to the electric heater. The control system causes the electric heater to operate by supplying the second energy to the electric heater and then drives a starter motor so as to cause an output shaft to perform starting rotation.

The present invention relates to a perfected battery (1) for vehicles, comprising: a housing (2) bounded by a cover (3) and configured to receive inside: a battery pack (4) configured to store electrical energy and power a motor-alternator (8) of said vehicle, and a service battery (5) in electrical communication with said motor-alternator (8) and configured to: store electrical energy, and power the services of the vehicle, an inverter (6) configured to: put said batteries (5, 6) and said motor-alternator (8) in electrical communication with each other, regulate the delivery of electrical energy from said battery pack (4) to said motor-alternator (8) so that the latter exerts a predefined driving torque on a transmission of the vehicle.

A pickup truck-type plug-in hybrid electric vehicle includes, from the front, an engine compartment section including an engine compartment in which an engine is arranged longitudinally, a cabin section provided with a passenger compartment, and a cargo section that includes a truck bed that opens upward. Left and right side members of a frame, a propeller shaft, and an exhaust pipe extend in a vehicle longitudinal direction through a region in the cabin section that is below the passenger compartment. The battery is disposed in a region of at least one of the cabin section and the cargo section, and the region is above the side members, the propeller shaft, and the exhaust pipe. The high-voltage electrical unit is disposed in a region in the cabin section that is below a rear-row seat and beneath a floor of the passenger compartment.

A car having: at least one electric motor connected to the two drive wheels; a first generation assembly having a first electric generator and a first internal combustion engine, which is mechanically connected only to the electric generator and, therefore, is mechanically independent of the drive wheels; a second generation assembly having a second electric generator, which is mechanically independent of the first electric generator, and a second internal combustion engine, which is mechanically connected only to the electric generator and, therefore, is mechanically independent of the drive wheels; and two interconnection ducts, which establish a hydraulic communication between a first lubrication circuit of the first internal combustion engine and a second lubrication circuit of the second internal combustion engine, so that part of the lubricating oil flowing in the first lubrication circuit can flow to the second lubrication circuit and vice versa.