Patent ID: 8627908

Claim:
A semi-autonomous vehicle couplable to a parent vehicle, including: a chassis supported on first and second axles coupled to a plurality of wheels; a propulsion system configured to transfer torque to one of the wheels; a steering system configured to control direction of travel of the semi-autonomous vehicle; a braking system configured to apply braking force to the wheels; a high-voltage electrical energy storage system; an extra-vehicle communications system; an extra-vehicle sensory system; a control system operatively coupled to the propulsion system, the steering system, and the braking system; a coupling device, the coupling device consisting essentially of a high-voltage DC electrical power bus electrically coupled to the high-voltage electrical energy storage system, the coupling device configured to electrically couple the high-voltage electrical energy storage system to the parent vehicle; and an electric power management system configured to control flow of electric power originating from the high-voltage electric power storage system to the high-voltage DC electrical power bus of the coupling device.