The present disclosure relates to a method and a control unit for controlling pre-warming process of an engine of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). The method comprises determining start-up time of the engine. The method also comprises determining engine heating time for the engine. The pre-warming process of the engine is initiated prior to start up time of the engine. The process of pre-warming is discontinued when the determined start-up time of the engine is greater than the engine heating time and the process is restarted when the determined start-up time of the engine is less than the engine heating time and when the pre-warming process of the engine is discontinued. The above-mentioned process is reiterated at plurality of time intervals for controlling the pre-warming process of the engine which results in energy efficiency and sufficient heat for warm-up of the engine.

A safety system can include a self-driving vehicle, a temperature detection system attached to the self-driving vehicle, and a vehicle management system configured to autonomously drive the self-driving vehicle. The self-driving vehicle can include cameras, lidar, and radar to detect objects on the road. The vehicle management system can be configured to respond to the temperature detection system detecting elevated temperatures.

A vehicle powertrain component includes a thermal transfer surface that transfers thermal energy out of a powertrain component and a thermally active material disposed over the thermal transfer surface. The thermally active material includes a variable thermal conductivity and an actuator coupled to the thermally active material induces changes in the thermal conductivity of the thermally active material. A controller governs operation of the actuator to adjust the thermal conductivity of the thermally active material responsive to a vehicle operating condition to maintain the powertrain component within a predefined temperature range.

A control device of a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor as a traveling power source, and a battery in which electric power to be supplied to the motor is charged, includes: a transient operation controller performing, when absolute values of an outputtable electric power and a chargeable electric power of the battery are small at a time of a transient operation of the engine, a transient operation of controlling an operating point of the engine within a wide range from low output to high output, at a position where a thermal efficiency is lower than the thermal efficiency at a time of a steady operation, and of controlling the engine to be in a combustion state where a margin to a combustion limit is greater than the margin in the steady operation.

A driving range estimator system for a vehicle accounting for a load on the vehicle may include an energy storage device configured to power the vehicle. Sensors may be disposed about the vehicle and may be configured to detect information relevant to a range estimate. A towing control unit may be configured to receive the detected information from the sensors, and configured to determine a) an expected range for the vehicle with the load, and b) an expected range for the vehicle without the load. A display may be configured to simultaneously display a) the expected range for the vehicle with the load and b) the expected range for the vehicle without the load.

Method for determining predicted acceleration information which describes a future acceleration potential of an electric vehicle having an electric motor as the drive device, which is supplied with electric power from a battery in the electric vehicle, this method including the following steps: —Supplying power predictive information of the electric motor, which describes the predicted available acceleration power of the electric motor for at least one future period of time, —Determining the acceleration information from the power predictive information by using a vehicle model which supplies the prevailing operating state of the electric vehicle, at least one vehicle parameter describing the acceleration possible on the basis of the acceleration power and/or using predictive path data supplied in particular by a navigation system for the period of time.

An electric machine and internal combustion engine are coordinated to provide traction control for an automotive vehicle. A propulsive torque limit is set by a controller during a loss of traction. When the machine torque limit is greater than the propulsive torque limit, the engine is pulled down. When the machine torque is less than the propulsive torque limit, the engine is pulled up. The controller coordinates the pulled up engine with the machine such that the engine is subordinated to the machine.

This invention is about a set of common features that will characterize any machine of the new type to be produced within the set of pumps, turbines and blowers. The machines in this new category, as will be here described, will be told apart from those already in use by one main peculiarity. They will feature a stationary (non-rotating) axle for the rotation of the impeller around it but the impeller will be a solid part of the housing which will be the rotating part. Firmly, on or through the hollow core of the axle, ducts will be fitted for the intake and discharge of the powering or pumped fluid. So the housing of the machine will deliver or receive power from the body in which it will be incorporated or connected (that is torque times angular velocity). An implementation of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. Here the rim of a wheel of an aircraft is the rotating body. Part of the rim will serve as the housing (containing shell) of an air-driven turbine (or pump as the case may be). Accordingly, the normal stationary hub of the (formerly idle) wheel will serve as the axle of rotation for the impeller born by the rotating housing. This turbine within the rim will be powered by compressed air from the fuselage to make torque for prespinning the wheel just before touchdown. During landing, this air may be redirected to the brakes for early cooling. The rim already transformed into an air-driven turbine can be utilized to taxi or pull-out the aircraft without a tractor. In this case the turbine of this invention can be made as a two-stage regenerative machine. Research on the capabilities of the just invented turbine at the phase of development will determine the feasibility of taxiing without the main engines at least partially, using pneumatic power from the Auxiliary Power Unit.

A vehicular breaking force control system that includes a control device including a processor that acquires a plurality of longitudinal accelerations from a driving assistance system, and calculates a driving/braking request when the vehicle is in a coasting state in which an acceleration operation or a deceleration operation are not performed during running of the vehicle. The processor further acquires a driving force lower limit set for a powertrain actuator having a set gear ratio, and distributes the driving/braking request to at least one of (i) a powertrain system including the powertrain actuator and (ii) a brake system including a brake actuator. The driving/braking request is distributed to the at least one of the powertrain system and the brake system based on the acquired driving force lower limit.

A system for mitigating thermal runaway in a battery-powered electric vehicle (EV). The system includes a gas sensor configured to measure a level of at least one type of gas in a vicinity of a battery of the EV, a thermal event detector configured to determine, based on the measured level of the at least one type of gas, that the battery is experiencing out-gassing, and a communications interface configured to transmit an alert to a fleet management system regarding the out-gassing of the battery. The fleet management system alters an assignment of the EV in response to the out-gassing of the battery.