Patent ID: 7980340

Claim:
A hybrid vehicle comprising: two front wheels; two rear wheels; an internal combustion engine housed within an engine compartment and configured to provide rotational power to a flywheel; a first motor/generator rotatably operatively coupled to the flywheel of the internal combustion engine so that the first motor/generator rotates in unison with the engine and is non-disengagable from the engine; a gear transmission having a first port configured to receive rotational power in a first rotational (RPM) range, and a second port configured to provide rotational power in a second RPM range to at least one wheel of the vehicle; a second motor/generator rotatably coupled to the first port of the gear transmission; a clutch operatively positioned between the engine and first motor/generator, and configured to engage and disengage rotational power between the engine and the second motor/generator; wherein the internal combustion engine, the first motor/generator, the second motor/generator, the clutch, and the gear transmission are housed within the engine compartment and located between the two front wheels and arranged in a substantially linear manner; and wherein the first motor/generator, the second motor/generator, the clutch, and the gear transmission are located substantially above a centerline of the front wheels.