A vehicle includes a refrigerant system having a chiller and a coolant system having a chiller loop and a radiator loop. The chiller loop is arranged to circulate coolant through the chiller, and the radiator loop is arranged to circulate coolant through a battery, a radiator, and a bypass valve connected to a bypass conduit. A controller is configured to, in response to an ambient-air temperature exceeding a battery-coolant temperature, actuate the valve to circulate coolant to the bypass conduit to skip the radiator.

Systems and methods of providing a configurable powertrain in a vehicle are disclosed. The powertrain is capable of operating in a plurality of powertrain configurations and includes one or more reversible generators, a battery system, a motor/generator (M/G), and one or more drive axles. The generators generate and supply electrical power to the battery system, the M/G, an external power source, or a combination thereof. The battery system selectively supplies electrical power to the generators, the M/G, the external power source, or a combination thereof. The one or more generators also selectively supply cooling to the battery system, a cab of the vehicle, a trailer or external enclosure or structure of the vehicle, or a combination thereof. The powertrain configurations of the vehicle include operating the components of the powertrain in various combinations based on demands of the vehicle and/or external power sources or structures.

The operation of a hybrid powertrain system is optimized with respect to a desired state-of-charge trajectory, taking account of the estimated anticipated vehicle drive power. The hybrid powertrain system has an internal combustion engine and an electrically operated torque machine. The internal combustion engine and the torque machine are controlled by a control device and are connected to an output element via a hybrid transmission. Before the start of the prediction period Δt, an experience-based state-of-charge trajectory for the anticipated route, covering at least the prediction period Δt, is retrieved from an external database. The desired state-of-charge trajectory is established based on the experience-based state-of-charge trajectory by modifying it with at least one optimization constraint. The experience-based state-of-charge trajectory can be established based on operating data from hybrid powertrain systems of multiple vehicles and/or from operating data from multiple comparable journeys with the same vehicle.

Disclosed are a hybrid electric vehicle and an engine control method therefor that are capable of reducing entry of an engine into a full-load drive mode. The method includes determining whether the extent of depression of an accelerator pedal (APS) may be equal to or greater than a reference value set as a condition for entry of an engine into a full-load drive mode, determining a part-load torque corresponding to the maximum torque in a part-load drive mode of the engine and a motor torque corresponding to the maximum torque of a motor when the extent of depression of the accelerator pedal may be equal to or greater than the reference value, comparing the sum of the part-load torque and the motor torque with a driver demand torque, and controlling the engine in the full-load drive mode or the part-load drive mode depending on a result of the comparing.

There is provided an electrically driven vehicle used for a car sharing system and configured to appropriately increase the temperature of a power storage device. The electrically driven vehicle used for the car sharing system is provided with a power storage device and a temperature raising device configured to increase temperature of the power storage device. When a user operates a communication device to make a direct reservation or an indirect reservation of the electrically driven vehicle for driving, the electrically driven vehicle estimates a driving start time of the vehicle, based on the position of the communication device, sets a temperature-rising start time of the power storage device, based on the temperature of the power storage device and the estimated driving start time, and controls the temperature raising device to start a temperature increase of the power storage device at the set temperature-rising start time.

A method for controlling operation of a vehicle. The method includes: providing information on geographical position of a first (starting) location and a second (destination) location and on length and topography for at least one possible route to be taken by the vehicle from the first location to the second location; calculating, based on vehicle conditions and on length and topography for the at least one possible route, a plan for how to control the powertrain system to achieve an energy efficient performance of the powertrain system if driving the vehicle along said at least one possible route. The method further includes: setting the vehicle in a non-drive off mode that prevents the vehicle from driving off from the first location, and setting the vehicle in a normal operation mode that allows drive off from the first location when calculating the plan has been carried out.

A temperature raising device includes an alternating current (AC) generation circuit including a first capacitor having a first end connected to a positive electrode side of a power storage having an inductance component, a second capacitor having a first end connected to a negative electrode side of the power storage, a parallel switch unit configured to connect the first capacitor and the second capacitor to the power storage in parallel, and a series switch unit configured to connect the first capacitor and the second capacitor to the power storage in series, and a controller configured to alternately switch the state between a first state in which the parallel switch unit is in a conductive state and the series switch unit is in a non-conductive state and a second state in which the parallel switch unit is in the non-conductive state and the series switch unit is in the conductive state.

A method of the pre-conditioning system for a battery of a vehicle includes: receiving an input of a destination of the vehicle; generating and outputting a destination route to the destination; searching for information on one or more battery charging stations located within a predetermined range on or around the destination route; determining whether each of the searched battery charging stations satisfies a preset environmental condition; adding a charging station path to a charging station selected among charging stations provided with the environmental condition to the destination route; determining whether the battery of the vehicle satisfies a preset state condition; and warming the battery at a preset time point when the preset state condition is satisfied.

Vehicles may be composed of a relatively few number of “modules” that are assembled together during a final assembly process. An example vehicle may include a body module, a first drive module coupled to a first end of the body module, and a second drive module coupled to a second end of the body module. One or both of the drive modules may include a pair of wheels, a battery, an electric drive motor, and/or a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. One or both of the drive modules may also include a crash structure to absorb impacts. If a component of a drive module fails or is damaged, the drive module can be quickly and easily replaced with a new drive module, minimizing vehicle down time.

A method for operating a motor vehicle, which is driven by an electric motor. The motor vehicle has a high-voltage power system, to which the electric motor is connected, with a high-voltage battery that is operated in an operating temperature range, for which purpose, a temperature control mechanism utilizing a circulating coolant, and having a heating mechanism for the coolant and a cooling mechanism for the coolant is assigned to the high-voltage battery, to satisfy a power deficiency which indicates that a braking power required by recuperation of the electric motor exceeds the on-demand power currently in the high-voltage power system that can be demanded for charging the high-voltage battery.