The vehicle includes a powertrain having an axle having a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel. A first gearbox may couple a first power source to the first drive wheel, and a second gearbox may independently couple a second power source to the second drive wheel. And, a controller may be configured to initiate a gear shift in the first gearbox and the second gearbox at different times.

Controlling availability of features of a vehicle can be based on a set of initial parameters, with each parameter related to a feature of the vehicle and defining availability of the feature. The set of initial parameters can define at least one feature of the vehicle as unavailable but further define the unavailability of the at least one feature of the vehicle as overridable upon detection of an emergency condition by the control system of the vehicle. The control system of the vehicle can apply the set of initial parameters to operations of the vehicle to control. At another time, a set of updated parameters with at least one parameter having a different value than the initial set of parameters can be applied by the control system of the vehicle to control operations of the vehicle based on levels indicated by the set of updated parameters.

The vehicle includes a powertrain having an axle having a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel. A first gearbox may couple a first power source to the first drive wheel, and a second gearbox may independently couple a second power source to the second drive wheel. And, a controller may be configured to initiate a gear shift in the first gearbox and the second gearbox at different times.

The vehicle attitude control device generates target yaw moment on the basis of the deviation between a standard yaw rate and an actual yaw rate and is applied to a vehicle driven with the target yaw moment. The vehicle attitude control device is provided with a detection speed processor that performs a process such that a vehicle speed gently changes, a limit yaw rate calculator that determines a limit yaw rate by dividing lateral acceleration by the processed vehicle speed, and a standard yaw rate corrector that corrects the standard yaw rate using the limit yaw rate when the standard yaw rate is higher than the limit yaw rate. A target yaw moment calculator generates target yaw moment on the basis of the deviation between the standard yaw rate corrected by the standard yaw rate corrector and the actual yaw rate.

A vehicle is provided that determines a need for communication with a third party vendor, retrieves a user rule from the memory (the user rule defines to which third party vendor the vehicle can send a first communication to address the need and defines a geographic location of the third party vendor relative to a current location of the vehicle, a monetary amount the vehicle can pay to a third party vendor for a product or service to address the need, and a time limit for the third party vendor to provide the product or service to address the need), based on the user rule, selects a third party vendor from among multiple possible third party vendors, and when determined by the user rule, automatically sends the first communication to the selected third party vendor to address the need. The first communication is associated with an order for the product or service, and the processor provides an authorization to the selected third party vendor to complete the order. The vehicle uses different antennas positioned at different physical locations on an exterior of the vehicle to provide the first communication and authorization to the selected third party vendor.

A vehicle includes an on board microprocessor that is programmed to receive and transmit multiple authentication factors or a key derived therefrom to a remote server to authenticate the vehicle or a vehicle occupant to a remote server. The multiple authentication factors comprise a plurality of an electronic address of a portable communication device of the occupant sensed by an on board sensor, a wireless remote signal description sensed by an on board sensor, a vehicle-related identifier, a vehicle parameter sensed by the on board processor, an environmental parameter sensed by the on board processor, and a passcode received by the microprocessor from the remote server.

A vehicle includes two or more soft touch radio frequency (RF) antennas and two or more RF transceivers to communicate sensitive information associated with a user of the vehicle. A processor in communication with the two or more RF transceivers selects a first RF transceiver associated with the deployed RF antenna to send the sensitive information and sends the sensitive information to the first RF transceiver.

A mechanical stabilization system for a battery assembly is disclosed. The system includes an actuator and a stabilizer that are configured to work in concert. The actuator and stabilizer are disposed in a housing of the battery assembly. The system may be implemented by depression of the actuator disposed in the housing, which causes the stabilizer to retract a support post into the housing. The depression can occur during a docking operation of the battery assembly with a lift mechanism for an electric vehicle. When the actuator is released, the support post automatically reverts to its previous, deployed state. The support post is configured to maintain the battery assembly in a stable configuration when the battery assembly is separated from the electric vehicle.

According to one embodiment, managing power provided by a battery system can comprise receiving, by a controller of the battery system, a set of management rules defining conditions and actions for altering an allocation of power provided by one or more batteries of the battery system. The controller of the battery system can read a set of configuration information for the battery system. The controller of the battery system can additionally or alternatively read a set of use information for the power source from one or more databases. The controller of the battery system can then apply the management rules using the set of service configuration information and/or the set of use information. Based on applying the management rules, one or more characteristics of the power provided by the battery system can be altered by the controller of the battery system.

According to one embodiment, provisioning an amount of power for one or more vehicles can comprise receiving a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles. The request can indicate the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total. A set of management rules can be read from one or more databases. A set of service configuration information and a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles can also be read from one or more databases. One or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles can be determined based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information and an indication of the determined power sources can be provided.