Patent ID: 8191661

Claim:
A hybrid vehicle comprising: vehicle wheels, first and second motor-generators, a combustion engine and an energy storage device; a first coupler between said first motor generator and said engine and a second coupler between said first motor-generator and one of said vehicle wheels, and a coupling between said second motor-generator and said one or another one of said vehicle wheels; a driver-operated pedal and a comparator for sensing a position of said pedal; a master controller responsive to said position of said pedal and comprising a command signal output; a current controller coupled between said energy storage device and one of said electric motor-generators, said current controller comprising a current control signal input; a signal path between said command signal output and said current control signal input; wherein said first and second couplers are engagable and disengagable under control of said master controller, and wherein said vehicle is configurable into: (A) a low speed configuration in which: (a) one of said motor generators is coupled to said wheels and is connected to receive current from at least one of said energy storage device or the other of said motor generators, and (b) the other one of said motor generators is coupled to be driven by said engine and is connected provide current to said energy storage device or to the one motor generator; and (B) a high speed configuration in which: (a) said engine is coupled to said wheels, (b) a selected one of said motor generators is coupled to said engine, and (c) said selected one motor generator is connected through said current controller to provide current to said energy storage device.