A battery-operated motor system includes a rechargeable battery, a motor and circuitry for recharging the battery. The recharging circuit processes externally applied energy to provide a source of recharging current. The recharging current is applied to a winding in the motor in the form of periodic current pulses. Following each pulse, energy thus stored in the motor winding is allowed to discharge into the battery, thereby recharging it. Use of the motor winding in this manner avoids the need to provide a separate inductance for recharging the battery and results in reduced weight, fewer components and greater manufacturing economy. The large inductance of the motor winding also enables recharging at a rate well suited to the particular motor/battery combination. By using existing components of a known H bridge motor drive to perform the various switching functions, further savings in these areas can be realized.

To provide an electric vehicle in which a low voltage power, obtained by conversion from a high voltage power of a main battery by a DC--DC convertor, is supplied to an operation control unit and electric equipment loads such as a lamp and is also used to charge a low voltage secondary battery, in which the main battery and the low voltage secondary battery are prevented from being over-discharged even when a main switch is left in the on-state. A low voltage power VR outputted from a DC--DC convertor is supplied to an exciting winding of a relay and is also supplied to a low voltage secondary battery through a diode. The low voltage power VR is supplied to low voltage loads through a contact of the relay. The DC--DC convertor is so constructed that the output of the low voltage power therefrom is stopped when the output voltage of the DC--DC convertor is reduced to a value less than a specified range due to the reduction in the battery capacity of the main battery. In the case where the battery capacity of the main battery is reduced when the main switch is left in the on-state, the output of the DC--DC convertor is stopped, and the contact of the relay is opened for preventing over-discharge of the low voltage secondary battery.

The invention provides a hybrid drive arrangement, particularly for a motor vehicle, having an internal combustion engine, a generator, a rectifier, an inverter, an energy accumulator connected to the direct current line between the rectifier and the inverter as well as a driving motor coupled to the inverter. A bypass line bridges the rectifier--direct-current line--inverter path, and a switching element is provided to couple the driving motor with the generator selectively by way of the rectifier--direct-current line--inverse rectifier path on the one hand, or the bypass line on the other.

An electric vehicle control system for controlling an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle control system includes an inverter adapted to receive DC power from an overhead power line for converting the DC power into three-phase AC power, a permanent magnetic synchronous motor connected to receive the three-phase AC power from the inverter for driving the electric vehicle, a control device for generating an opening signal based on a malfunction signal from the inverter or an operating instruction, and an opening device connected to receive the opening signal from the control device for opening the connection between the inverter and the permanent magnetic synchronous motor.

A positive side main contactor serving as a contact switching device on the positive side, which is connected between a positive electrode terminal of a battery pack and a high potential input terminal of an inverter, and a negative side main contactor serving as a contact switching device on the negative side, which is connected between a negative electrode terminal of the battery pack and a low potential input terminal of the inverter, are arranged so that moving contacts of these are moved forward and backward in directions that are different from each other, e.g. by 90 degrees. Thus, a situation in which the two main contactors are simultaneously turned ON upon external impact can be avoided, and consequently, it is possible to achieve the same impact resistance as was previously possible with a smaller spring force than was previously required. Therefore, it is possible, for example, to reduce the number of turns of the winding in an electromagnetic coil of each of the main contactors or to reduce the winding diameter. The size and the cost of the contact switching device are reduced while maintaining reliability.