Patent ID: 8602143

Claim:
A vehicle comprising: a vehicle body; a first motor disposed within the vehicle body; a second motor disposed within the vehicle body and configured to generate a propulsion torque; an engine removably disposed on an outside portion of the vehicle body and configured to be selectively coupled with the first motor through the vehicle body, and wherein the engine is configured to selectively provide torque to the first motor; a climate control compressor disposed within the vehicle body and selectively coupled to the first motor; and a first clutch assembly disposed between the first motor and the climate control compressor, the first clutch configured to operably connect the climate control compressor to the first motor; a second clutch assembly disposed between the engine and the first motor, the second clutch configured to operably connect the engine to the first motor; and a controller configured to control the coupling of the climate control compressor to the first motor through the first clutch assembly and to control the coupling of the engine to the first motor through the second motor assembly, and wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the engine; wherein the engine, the first motor, and the climate control compressor are in a series torque-transmitting arrangement; and wherein the first motor is an electric motor, the second motor is an electric motor, and the engine is an internal combustion engine.