Methods and systems are provided for providing off-road capabilities in electric vehicles with a single gear reduction. In one example, when a 44 mode is selected in an electric vehicle, a relationship between motor torque and accelerator pedal position is changed so as to increase the vehicle creep wheel torque. A degree of increase of the creep wheel torque is adjusted as a function of the terrain on which the vehicle is off-roading.

A vehicle control device includes: a control portion that makes, of a plurality of shock absorbers included in a vehicle, a first damping force of at least one shock absorber that is located on a first direction side on which acceleration acts in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle larger than a second damping force of at least one shock absorber of the plurality of shock absorbers that is located on a second direction side opposite to the first direction in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle before acceleration acting on the vehicle is detected by an acceleration sensor due to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.

An electrical passenger car, the electrical passenger car including: at least two electrically driven motors; speed control electronics; and wheels, where the wheels include a first front wheel, a second front wheel, a first back wheel, and a second back wheel, where the first back wheel radius is at least 20% greater than the first front wheel radius, where the speed control electronics control the at least two electrically driven motors to provide a greater torque to the first front wheel than to the first back wheel, and where the electrical passenger car is designed to travel for a greater distance for the same axial to wheel friction energy loss than a similar electrical passenger car having wheels of a smaller radius.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a driveline of a four wheel drive vehicle that includes a high gear ratio and a low gear ratio. The driveline may be operated to shift between the high gear ratio and the low gear ratio while the four wheel drive vehicle is moving. In one example, a clutch is opened during shifting from the high gear ratio to the low gear ratio, which allows the vehicle to continue traveling during the gear ratio change.

A method and a system for controlling driving of a vehicle according to a driving intent of a driver in a sports mode, may include determining a situation in which whether sporty driving is required for the vehicle due to an output value reflecting a driving state of the vehicle which is driving in a sports mode, and, when the situation is determined as requiring the sporty driving, controlling, by the controller, the clutch mechanism to release a coupling between the front wheel and the front wheel drive motor for the vehicle to drive in a rear wheel drive manner, and the system to which the method is applied.

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.

A method of cooperatively controlling regenerative braking step by step for a vehicle, such as a rear-wheel-drive environmentally-friendly vehicle, performs a braking mode in accordance with a traveling risk degree determined in advance before initiating braking and changes the selectively performed braking mode by re-determining the traveling risk degree during a braking operation. The method includes: a first step of determining in advance the traveling risk degree before initiating braking; a second step of selectively performing any one of braking modes defined based on the traveling risk degree during braking; a third step of re-determining the traveling risk degree after the second step; and a fourth step of changing the selectively performed braking mode based on the traveling risk degree determined in the third step.

A power transmission device outputting torque from a first power source and a second power source to axles, is provided with: a first shaft coupled with the first power source; a differential configured to differentially distribute the torque to the axles; a first gear set configured to drivingly couple the first shaft with the differential; a second shaft coupled with the second power source; a second gear set drivingly coupled with the second shaft; a clutch configured to receive fluid pressure to drivingly and releasably couple the second gear set with the first gear set; and a pump driven by a third power source at least independent of the first power source and the clutch to generate the fluid pressure, the pump being disposed separate from the clutch and in fluid connection with the clutch to supply the fluid pressure.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a control system configured to control a driveline of a motor vehicle to operate in a selected one of a plurality of configurations, the system being configured to receive a signal indicative of a location of the vehicle, the system being configured to cause the driveline to operate in a configuration selected in dependence at least in part on the signal indicative of the location of the vehicle.

An electrical passenger car, the electrical passenger car including: at least two electrically driven motors; motor control electronics, where the motor control electronics are connected to the at least two electrically driven motors; wheels, where the wheels are connected to the at least two electrically driven motors; and sensors, where the sensors are connected to at least the motor control electronics, where the wheels include a first wheel and a second wheel, where the second wheel has a radius at least 7% greater than a radius of the first wheel, where the motor control electronics control the at least two electrically driven motors to provide a greater torque to the first wheel than to the second wheel, and where the electrical passenger car is designed to operate efficiently on a paved road.