Patent ID: 8113310

Claim:
An all-electric vehicle for movement along a roadway, wherein the roadway has at least one power segment with a three-phase winding imbedded therein, the vehicle comprising: an undercarriage having at least one wheel, wherein the wheel is in contact with the roadway for rotation thereof during movement of the vehicle along the roadway; an electric motor mounted on the undercarriage; a battery mounted on the undercarriage for running the electric motor; a magnet array mounted on the undercarriage for movement between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration; an electrical system mounted on the undercarriage for alternately operating in a motor mode to move the vehicle along the roadway with power from the electric motor, and in a generator mode to recharge the battery by rotating the wheel, wherein the electrical system has a differential connected between the wheel and the electric motor, with the differential having an approximately 10.9 to 1 gear ratio, wherein the electric motor is a synchronous permanent magnet motor for generating 125 hp at approximately 1200 rpm, and wherein the electrical system has a variable frequency inverter-rectifier connected between the electric motor and the battery for charging the battery with a d.c. voltage when the electrical system is operated in the generator mode, and for providing an a.c. voltage to energize the electric motor when the electrical system is operated in the motor mode; and a control system for operating the vehicle in the generator mode, to recharge the battery, by selectively moving the magnet array into its deployed configuration to establish a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) between the magnet array and the three-phase winding in the power segment of the roadway for moving the vehicle along the roadway.