Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Seth Loveall

Brendan F Diamond

Jonathan Hair

Stephen Thomas Powell

Anthony Boyko

Shunsuke Okubo

Kevin James Rhodes

Patrick Gordon Collins

Stephanie Singer

Saeid Loghavi

Jennifer Fredericks

Systems and methods for operating an electric drive system for an electric or hybrid vehicle is described. In one example, the drive system is operated to provide extra losses during select vehicle operating conditions so that greater amounts of regenerative braking may be generated without having to store larger amounts of electric energy in an electric energy storage device.

Methods and system for controlling loss mode for an electric machine

A method for autonomously navigating a subject vehicle from among a plurality of vehicles in an environment includes determining whether the subject vehicle is to be moved from a first post-production location to a second post-production location within the environment based on transportation scheduling data associated with the subject vehicle. The method includes executing a navigation routine in response to the transportation scheduling data indicating the subject vehicle is to be moved. The navigation routine includes obtaining location data associated with the plurality of vehicles, identifying a vehicle path for the subject vehicle based on the location data of the plurality of vehicles, the first post-production location, the second post-production location, or a combination thereof, and instructing the subject vehicle to autonomously travel along the vehicle path to the second post-production location.

System and method for autonomously navigating a vehicle in a manufacturing environment

A vehicle computer or vehicle associated computer may determine an upcoming vehicle occupancy change event for an object vehicle. The computer may also determine a suitability-for-use of one or more vehicle doors based on a traffic prediction, responsive to determining the occupancy change event. Further, the computer may alert at least one vehicle occupant as to the suitability-for-use of each door for which the suitability determination was made.

Methods and apparatuses for accommodating traffic when using vehicle doors

A fleet charging system includes a plurality of chargers. A controller is programmed to predict charge demand for fleet and nonfleet vehicles over a predetermined time interval. The controller generates a charge strategy for the predetermined time interval that minimizes a total energy cost and includes storing energy in the fleet vehicles for sale to the nonfleet vehicles. The controller charges and discharges the fleet and nonfleet vehicles according to the charge strategy.

System and method for battery-electric vehicle fleet charging

Upon determining a position of a pothole relative to a predicted vehicle path, one or more lights in a linear arrangement of lights are actuated based on the position of the pothole relative to the vehicle path.

Pothole display

Systems and methods for operating an engine that may be frequently stopped and restarted are described. In one example, an engine is rotated in small crankshaft angle increments and stopped after the engine is rotated through a predetermined actual total number of crankshaft degrees so that the engine position does not change when the engine reaches a desired position.

Methods and system for positioning an engine for starting

Systems and methods for operating a hybrid powertrain or driveline that includes an engine and an integrated starter/generator are described. In one example, a clutch is positioned between the engine and the integrated starter/generator to reduce the possibility of the integrated starter/generator exceeding a rated speed of the integrated starter/generator.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Seth Loveall