Driving system for motorcars

Claim 1

A DRIVING SYSTEM FOR DRIVING THE WHEELS OF A MOTOR CAR COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE; A DRIVE SHAFT; DISCONNECTABLE MAIN CLUTCH MEANS BETWEEN SAID COMBUSTION ENGINE AND ONE END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING SAID ONE END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO AND FROM SAID COMBUSTION ENGINE; A DRIVEN SHAFT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE WHEELS OF THE MOTOR CAR; TRANSMISION MEANS BETWEEN SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID DRIVEN SHAFT; AND ELECTRIC MOTOR ARRANGED AT THE OTHER END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND HAVING A SHUNT WINDING; A BATTERY CARRIED BY THE MOTOR CAR; CIRCUIT MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING SAID BATTERY TO SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR; AND REDUCTION GEAR MEANS BETWEEN THE OTHER END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR INCLUDING AN AUTOMATIC SWITCHING SYSTEM WHICH AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDES A HIGHER TRANSMISSION RATIO WHEN THE REDUCTION GEAR MEANS IS DRIVEN BY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND A LOWER RATIO OF TRANSMISSION WHEN SAID REDUCTION GEAR MEANS IS DRIVEN BY SAID COMBUSTION ENGINE, WHEREBY WHEN SAID COMBUSTION ENGINE IS CONNECTED BY SAID MAIN CLUTCH MEANS TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID ENGINE MAY BE STARTED BY SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR AND THE LATTER BE SUBSQUENTLY DRIVEN WITH INCREASED SPEED BY SAID ENGINE TO ACT AS A GENERATOR CHARGING THE BATTERY, WHILE WHEN THE COMBUSTION ENGINE IS DISCONNECTED FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT THE CAR MAY BE DRIVEN AT A REDUCED SPEED BY SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR.