Patent ID: 8659182

Claim:
A power supply system for an electric powered vehicle capable of generating a driving force of said electric powered vehicle from electric power supplied on an electric power line, comprising: a plurality of chargeable and dischargeable power storage devices; a plurality of converters connected between said electric power line and said plurality of power storage devices, respectively, and each configured to include a plurality of power semiconductor switching elements for converting electric power between an associated power storage device of said plurality of power storage devices and said electric power line bidirectionally; and a control device for controlling turning on and off each said power semiconductor switching element of each said converter, wherein: said plurality of power semiconductor switching elements include a first switching element electrically connected between said electric power line and said associated power storage device, said control device, in a first mode for charging said plurality of power storage devices with electric power supplied on said electric power line, periodically turns on/off each said first switching element in each of said plurality of converters to control one of a voltage of said electric power line and a current charged to said associated power storage device, and said control device, in a second mode for charging said plurality of power storage devices with electric power supplied on said electric power line for a time period longer than that of said first mode, selects at least a part of said plurality of power storage devices as that to be charged and also holds on said first switching element in said converter associated with the power storage device selected as said that to be charged, and holds off said first switching element in said converter associated with a remaining power storage device of said plurality of power storage devices other than said that to be charged, to charge said plurality of power storage devices.