A power control system may include at least one of batteries, a motor, and a data logic analyzer that can interpret certain variable conditions of a transport, such as a tractor trailer, moving along a road or highway. The data can be used to determine when to apply supplemental power to the wheels of a trailer to reduce fuel usage. One example device may include at least one of a power source affixed to a trailer to capture energy from movement of an axle of the trailer, and a motor powered by the power source to operate and provide movement assistance to the axle.

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 vehicle trailer for attaching to a vehicle and analyzing operating characteristics of the vehicle is provided. The trailer includes a frame having a tongue configured to attach to a vehicle. The trailer has its own designated powertrain configured to propel and brake the trailer independent from the vehicle. A connecting member is configured to attach to an exhaust pipe of the vehicle and includes an emissions sensor configured to detect emissions from the exhaust pipe. At least one controller is coupled to the emissions sensor and is configured to analyze the emissions. The trailer can also be attached to the vehicle via an attachment member and configured to propel the vehicle across a range of increasing speeds while a powertrain of the vehicle is in neutral, and measure forces required to propel the vehicle across the range of speeds utilizing a force gauge on the attachment member.

A control device for electric motor vehicle using a motor as a traveling drive source and configured to decelerate by a regenerative braking force of the motor includes a motor torque command value setter configured to set a first torque target value for traveling based on the vehicle information as a motor torque command value for traveling based on the vehicle information before a speed parameter proportional to a traveling speed of an electric motor vehicle becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, and set a second torque target value for stopping the electric motor vehicle and maintaining a vehicle stopped state as the motor torque command value when the speed parameter becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, a motor controller configured to control the motor on the basis of the motor torque command value.

A power control system may include at least one of batteries, a motor, and a data logic analyzer that can interpret certain variable conditions of a transport, such as a tractor trailer, moving along a road or highway. The data can be used to determine when to apply supplemental power to the wheels of a trailer to reduce fuel usage. One example device may include at least one of: a power creation module that generates electrical power, a battery which store the electrical power, a motor affixed to a trailer axle of a trailer which provides a turning force to the trailer axle when enabled to operate from the stored electrical power of the battery, and a motor controller configured to initiate the motor to operate according to a predefined sensor condition.

A hybrid vehicle control device is provided with at least one controller that controls the outputs of the engine and of the motor according to the driving state, the engagement and disengagement of the clutch, and the transmission ratio of the continuously variable transmission. The at least one controller is programmed to start the engine and forcibly downshift the continuously variable transmission to a transmission ratio with which it is possible to start on an uphill road upon determining that the vehicle is on an uphill road while in an electric vehicle mode in which it is possible to travel by the drive force of the motor with the clutch released and the engine stopped.

Methods and systems for monitoring a switch included in a vehicle. One method includes a method of monitoring a switch included in a vehicle. The method includes obtaining a current vehicle speed, and dynamically, by a controller, generating a duration for detecting a stuck state of the switch based on at least the current vehicle speed, detecting, by the controller, a duration of a high signal received from the switch. The method also includes comparing, by the controller, the duration of the high signal to the generated duration, and detecting, by the controller a stuck state of the switch when the duration of the high signal satisfies the generated duration.

A drive control system for a work vehicle is provided with a power transmission device that drives front wheels and rear wheels, a request determination unit, and a drive mode control unit. The power transmission device has a drive mode switching mechanism that performs drive mode switching between a four-wheel drive mode in which drive power is transmitted to front wheels and rear wheels and a two-wheel drive mode in which drive power is transmitted to only the rear wheels. The request determination unit determines a necessity for an increase in drive power on a contact area of the work vehicle, and outputs an increase request based on the determination result. The drive mode control unit outputs a drive mode switching request for switching to the four-wheel drive mode to the drive mode switching mechanism, in response to output of the increase request.

A power control system may include at least one of batteries, a motor, and a data logic analyzer that can interpret certain variable conditions of a transport, such as a tractor trailer, moving along a road or highway. The data can be used to determine when to apply supplemental power to the wheels of a trailer to reduce fuel usage. One example device may include at least one of: a power creation module that generates electrical power, a battery which store the electrical power, a motor affixed to a trailer axle of a trailer which provides a turning force to the trailer axle when enabled to operate from the stored electrical power of the battery, and a motor controller configured to initiate the motor to operate according to a predefined sensor condition.

When it is judged that a downward slope segment exists in a scheduled traveling route, the control device of a hybrid vehicle sets a target remaining capacity SOC* in a pre-use segment in a downward slope segment and the downward slope segment to a low-side remaining capacity Sd which is Sd smaller than a standard remaining capacity Sn (step S105). Furthermore, when it is presumed that a rise amount of a remaining capacity by an extended regeneration control is large in the pre-use segment and the downward slope segment (refer to a judgment as Yes in step S104), the target remaining capacity SOC* is set to a low-side remaining capacity Sd which is a sum of Sd and S1 smaller than the standard remaining capacity Sn (step S106).