A method managing energy consumption for an automobile including an electric battery and a heat engine, to select use phases of the engine along a route to minimize fuel consumption. The method includes: cutting a road network, for a route, into plural segments each defined by an input node and an output node; calculating, from a speed associated with a segment, a probability of a speed transition between a speed at an input node and at an output node of the segment, considering plural speeds at the input node and at the output node, executed gradually over all the route segments; applying a stochastic optimization algorithm considering all possible transition scenarios between each input node and each output node, and the probability associated therewith, and a fuel consumption model between two successive nodes, executed over all the route segments; and selecting use phases of the heat engine along the route.

A hybrid power source connects a secondary battery and an EDLC. A first switch connects the hybrid power source and a lead acid battery in parallel. A power source controlling portion controls power supply to the hybrid power source and the lead acid battery. The hybrid power source is connected to a starter for starting an engine for a vehicle, and also connected to an electric device except for the starter through the first switch, and the lead acid battery is connected to the electric device, and also connected to the starter through the first switch.

Systems and methods are disclosed for electric vehicles with removable homopolar generators for increased driving distances. In one embodiment, an example electric vehicle may include at least one drive motor configured to impart motion to one or more wheels of the electric vehicle, a plurality of rechargeable batteries configured to power the at least one drive motor, and a homopolar generator positioned within the electric vehicle and electrically coupled to the plurality of rechargeable batteries. The homopolar generator may be configured to generate current to charge the plurality of rechargeable batteries. The electric vehicle may include one or more solid state relays electrically coupled between the plurality of rechargeable batteries, and a controller configured to manage charging of the plurality of rechargeable batteries.

A method to control a hybrid vehicle with a parallel architecture and with an unknown speed profile, wherein the hybrid vehicle is provided with an internal combustion engine and with a reversible electrical machine connected to a storage system designed to store electrical energy; the method comprises the steps of recognizing the operating mode of the hybrid vehicle; determining a function of the specific fuel consumption of the drive system of the hybrid vehicle as a function of the operating mode of the hybrid vehicle; determining the optimal value of the power of the storage system and the optimal value of the power of the internal combustion engine, which correspond to the values that permit a minimization of said function.

The present disclosure is directed to an electric generator and motor transmission system that is capable of operating with high energy, wide operating range and extremely variable torque and RPM conditions. In accordance with various embodiments, the disclosed system is operable to: dynamically change the output size of the motor/generator by modularly engaging and disengaging rotor/stator sets as power demands increase or decrease; activate one stator or another within the rotor/stator sets as torque/RPM or amperage/voltage requirements change; and/or change from parallel to series winding configurations or the reverse through sets of 2, 4, 6 or more parallel, three-phase, non-twisted coil windings with switchable separated center tap to efficiently meet torque/RPM or amperage/voltage requirements.

When at least one of motor generators is not under normal control and where the MG1 temperature is less than an upper limit value, an ECU is configured to perform an inverter-less running control. In the inverter-less running control, an inverter is brought into a gate shutoff state and an engine is driven to cause the motor generator to generate a counter-electromotive voltage which consequently produces a counter-electromotive torque. During the inverter-less running control, the ECU makes a voltage difference between the counter-electromotive voltage and the voltage of a power line connecting a converter and an inverter when the MG1 temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined value smaller than the voltage difference when the MG1 temperature is less than the predetermined value.

A vehicle includes an engine, a first motor generator that is configured to generate electric power using the power of the engine, an electric storage device that is configured to store the electric power that is generated by the first motor generator, a connection part through which the electric power that has been stored in the electric storage device is supplied to the outside of the vehicle; and an ECU that is configured to start the engine when the SOC of the electric storage device reaches a predetermined starting threshold value. The ECU sets a starting threshold value ON2 that is used when the vehicle is in an undrivable condition and electric power is being supplied to the outside of the vehicle through the connection part to a value smaller than a starting threshold value ON1 that is used when the vehicle is in a drivable condition.

A system and method for leakage current detection and fault location identification in a DC power circuit is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of DC leakage current detectors positioned throughout the DC power circuit, the DC leakage current detectors configured to sense and locate a leakage current fault in the DC power circuit. Each of the DC leakage current detectors is configured to generate a net voltage at an output thereof indicative of whether a leakage current fault is present at a location at which the respective DC leakage current detector is positioned. A logic device in operable communication with the DC leakage current detectors receives output signals from each DC leakage current detector comprising the net voltage output and locates the leakage current fault in the DC power circuit based on the output signals received from the plurality of DC leakage current detectors.

A powertrain includes a DC-DC converter, an electric machine, and a controller. The DC-DC converter may be configured to output a bus voltage. The controller may be configured to, in response to a torque request exceeding an available torque of the electric machine, command the converter to boost the bus voltage to a discrete step value selected from a predetermined number of available discrete step values, that changes in response to a selected operating mode of the powertrain changing, to increase the available torque.

A power supply apparatus of a vehicle includes: an engine and a first MG; a battery; a converter stepping up a voltage of the battery and supplying the stepped-up voltage to an inverter of the vehicle; and a control device controlling the converter in a continuous voltage step-up mode in which the converter is continuously operated and an intermittent voltage step-up mode in which the converter is intermittently operated. The control device estimates an SOC of the battery based on battery current IB flowing into and out of the battery, and forces the battery to be charged by the engine and the first MG when an estimate value of the SOC is lower than a predetermined lower limit. The control device suppresses an operation of the converter in the intermittent voltage step-up mode to a greater extent as the estimate value of the SOC is closer to the lower limit.