Patent ID: 8245801

Claim:
A hybrid electric vehicle drive system, comprising: a motive energy subsystem; a drive wheel propulsion assembly including at least one electric motor, the at least motor configured to drive the drive wheel propulsion assembly; a first propulsion energy storage subsystem; a second propulsion energy storage subsystem; an energy storage DC bus electrically coupled to the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the second propulsion energy storage subsystem, and configured transmit energy among the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the second propulsion energy storage subsystem; a first energy storage DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the first propulsion energy storage subsystem and the energy storage DC bus; a second energy storage DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the second propulsion energy storage subsystem and the energy storage DC bus; a propulsion DC bus configured to transmit energy among the motive energy subsystem, the drive wheel propulsion assembly, and the energy storage DC; and, a bus-to-bus DC-to-DC converter interspersed between the energy storage DC bus and the propulsion DC bus.