A drive system, mountable onto a vehicle including a detachable rotational drive mechanism, for driving the rotational drive mechanism in accordance with a torque requirement. The drive system includes an engine that outputs first rotational power, and a generator that includes a rotor for receiving the first rotational power, a stator including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, a magnetic circuit for the winding passing through the stator core, and a supply current adjustment device for adjusting magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding, to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust an output current of the generator. The drive system further includes a motor driven by the outputted current of the generator to output second rotational power to the rotational drive mechanism, and a control device configured to control both the engine and the supply current adjustment device, in accordance with the torque requirement.

In an apparatus for controlling switching operations of switching elements of a power converter to convert input power to output power, a drive controller is configured to generate a drive control instruction indicative of predetermined switching operations of the switching elements, and output the drive control instruction. A driver is configured to drive, in accordance with the drive control instruction, the switching elements, so that the switching elements perform the predetermined switching operations. A switching speed adjuster is configured to obtain at least information indicative of atmospheric pressure, and adjust a switching speed of each of the switching elements such that the switching speed of the corresponding switching element decreases with a decrease of the atmospheric pressure.

An integrated module of an OBC and an inverter includes: an OBC primary side circuit and a plurality of transformers converting, when 3-phase alternating current (AC) voltages are received from a fuel station, the 3-phase AC voltages in form and level and transmitting the converted voltages into a secondary side; and an inverter switch turned off in a charge mode in which a high capacity vehicle battery is charged, to rectify an output voltage of a secondary side of each of the plurality of transformers by a body diode included in each switching element for an inverting function.

In a drive system including a battery, a power generation device (PGD) including a generator mounted to an engine shaft, and a drive device (DD) including a motor for driving a driven component, a drive controller performs a drive control for PGD and DD and a switching control for a switching device. During a parallel connection, respective high-voltage side terminals (HVTs) of PGD and the battery are connected to a HVT of DD, and respective low-voltage side terminals (LVTs) of PGD and the battery are connected to LVT of DD. During a series connection, HVT of any one of PGD and the battery is connected to HVT of DD, and LVT of another one of PGD and the battery is connected to LVT of DD, and terminals of PGD and the battery, which are not connected to DD, are connected to each other.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for an electric vehicle. The system includes a battery control unit configured to be in a grid-connected mode or a stand-alone mode. The system includes a shared boost converter connected to a battery. The shared boost converter receives alternating current (AC) power, steps up voltage and converts the AC power to direct current (DC) power when the battery control unit is in the grid-connected mode. The shared boost converter receives DC power from the battery and steps up voltage when the battery control unit is in the stand-alone mode. The system also includes an inverter configured to receive the stepped up DC power when the battery control unit is in the stand-alone mode and convert the DC power to AC power. The system also includes a motor/generator connected to the inverter and configured to receive AC power for powering a drivetrain of the electric vehicle.

While coolant is used to cool a motor inverter and a generator inverter included in a power drive unit configured to invert power between a battery and a motor/generator in both directions, an EV travel mode and a power generation travel mode are switched according to detection values from sensors in an electrically driven vehicle and including a switching device temperature sensor for a switching device of the inverters and a coolant temperature sensor, thereby controlling the vehicle. A failure of the coolant temperature sensor is detected according to a detection value from the coolant temperature sensor, and, in the EV travel mode, a detection value detected by the switching device temperature sensor for the switching device of the generator inverter is set as a detection value of a temperature of the coolant when the failure of the coolant temperature sensor is detected.

A second power conversion device converts electric power supplied from a power source connected to an input side of the second power conversion device, to supply the converted electric power to a first power storage device. A first contactor is closed, such that a smoothing capacitor is charged with electric power stored in the first power storage device. A controller controls a first power conversion device to cause the first power conversion device to perform power conversion of electric power stored in the smoothing capacitor and to supply the converted electric power to a power generator.

A motor vehicle comprises a motor configured to input and output power for driving; an inverter configured to drive the motor; a power storage device configured to transmit electric power to and from the motor; a system main relay configured to connect and disconnect the power storage device with and from a power line on an inverter-side; and a control device configured to enable the motor vehicle to be driven with turning on the system main relay according to a predetermined procedure in response to a system on-operation. The motor vehicle does not perform failure diagnosis of the inverter when an abnormality signal of the inverter is generated before a predetermined time after the system main relay is turned on in response to the system on-operation, while performing the failure diagnosis when the abnormality signal of the inverter is generated after the predetermined time.

Systems of an electrical vehicle and the operations thereof are provided. In particular, a towing cable and methods for utilizing the same in a towing scenario are described. The towing cable is described to facilitate the transfer of power between vehicles as well as data between vehicles. The data transferred between the vehicles involved in the towing include sensor information of the towed vehicle as well as control signals.

A power supply system is for supplying electric power to a load via a power supply line. The power supply system includes power storage device, a voltage converter, a switchgear, an abnormality signal output device and an electronic control unit. The abnormality signal output device is configured to output an abnormality signal when an abnormality of one switching element of the voltage converter is detected. The electronic control unit is configured to a) control switching elements of the voltage converter and the switchgear; b) switch the switchgear from the connected state to the disconnected state when receiving the abnormality signal from the abnormality signal output device; c) output an ON signal to close the one switching element whose abnormality is detected; and d) identify that the abnormality is short circuit failure when receiving the abnormality signal from the abnormality signal output device again after execution of b) and c).