Patent ID: 8562483

Claim:
A method of executing an electric-only (EV) mode transition in a vehicle having a control system, a powertrain with an engine, an input brake for grounding the engine, a first and a second electric traction motor, and a transmission, wherein the transmission includes an output member that is driven via the traction motors in a first and a second electric vehicle (EV) operating mode, the method comprising: determining a set of vehicle operating values prior to the EV mode transition using the control system; processing the set of vehicle operating values to thereby identify when the EV mode transition is imminent; and executing a transition to or from the first or the second EV operating mode as the EV mode transition by selectively engaging and disengaging the input brake via the control system, and by using the at least one of the first and the second traction motors to synchronize slip across the input brake during the EV mode transition.