Patent ID: 7601086

Claim:
A vehicle ( 1 ) having a drive engine ( 5 ) arranged in a transverse direction of the vehicle, the drive engine ( 5 ) being drivingly coupled to a main gear box ( 6 ) and an output of the main gear box ( 6 ), in turn, being drivingly coupled to an input of a transmission unit ( 7 ), the transmission unit ( 7 ) facilitating variable distribution of supplied by the drive engine ( 5 ) to a first output shaft which supports a wheel ( 2 A) and a second output shaft which supports a wheel ( 2 B), the transmission unit ( 7 ) comprising a transmission input shaft ( 9 ) coupled to the main gear box ( 6 ) for supplying torque to the first and the second output shafts via first and second planetary gearsets ( 14 , 15 ), an electric machine ( 16 ) being coupled to the first and second planetary gearsets ( 14 , 15 ) via first and second interconnected shafts ( 14 A, 15 A) to facilitate variable distribution of the torque, delivered by the transmission input shaft ( 9 ), between the first and the second output shafts as a function of torque produced by the electric machine ( 16 ), and the electric machine ( 16 ) being actively connectable with the transmission unit ( 7 ), via a first shiftable clutch device ( 24 ) connected to a first end of the electric machine ( 16 ), and an opposite end of the electric machine ( 16 ) also being actively connectable with the drive engine ( 5 ), via a second shiftable clutch device ( 25 ), so that a degree of distribution of torque between the first and the second output shafts of the transmission device ( 7 ) is varied when the electric machine ( 16 )is operating as a motor and also as a generator, and, when the electric machine ( 16 ) operates as a generator, the electric machine ( 16 ) is driven directly by the drive engine ( 5 ) and stores electrical power in a storage medium ( 26 ) electrically coupled to the electric machine ( 16 ).