| abstract |
A system, particularly for an electric vehicle, comprises a battery pack and an electric drive unit. The electric drive unit comprises a motor 310 and an inverter module, the inverter module comprising first and second inverters 360, 370 coupled to windings of the motor, and an inverter controller 380 for controlling switches of the inverters. The battery pack comprises a first sub-pack 210 and a second sub-pack 220. The first sub-pack supplies a first voltage to the first inverter, and the second sub-pack supplies a second, different voltage to the second inverter. The switches of the inverter module are configurable between a first configuration in which the first voltage is applied to one or more of the windings, a second configuration in which the second voltage is applied to one or more of the windings, and a third configuration in which a charge current flows from the first sub-pack to the second sub-pack. The first inverter may comprise first switches and the second inverter may comprise second switches where the first switches are of a different type to the second switches. |