Method and system for high voltage switching for electric vehicles

Abstract

Examples described herein provide a method that includes determining whether a vehicle is operating in a first high voltage mode or a second high voltage mode. The method also includes, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high voltage mode, providing electrical power to an electric motor at a first high voltage and providing electrical power to an auxiliary device at a second high voltage that is different than the first high voltage. The method also includes, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high voltage mode, providing electrical power to the electric motor at the second high voltage and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to vehicles, and more particularly to high-voltage switching for electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Modern vehicles (such as cars, motorcycles, boats, or any other type of vehicle) may be equipped with one or more electric motors, such as those used to drive the wheels of the vehicle. For example, an electric motor may be mechanically coupled to the wheels of a vehicle to apply rotational force to the wheels, thus forming a drive system. In some examples, a vehicle may include multiple electric motors. The electric motors receive electrical power from a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), which may include one or more batteries for storing electrical power. The RESS may also provide electrical power to other systems in the vehicle, such as climate control systems, infotainment systems, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one exemplary embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes determining whether a vehicle is operating in a first high-voltage mode or a second high-voltage mode. The method further includes, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high-voltage mode, providing electrical power to an electric motor at a first high voltage and providing electrical power to an auxiliary device at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage. The method also includes, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high-voltage mode, providing electrical power to the electric motor at the second high voltage and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage.

[0004] In other examples, providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes turning on a DC-DC converter.

[0005] In other examples, turning on the DC-DC converter involves closing a first relay at the input of the DC-DC converter.

[0006] In other examples, providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes disconnecting the DC-DC converter and bypassing the DC-DC converter.

[0007] In other examples, disconnecting the DC-DC converter includes disconnecting a first relay at the input of the DC-DC converter and closing a second relay associated with the DC-DC converter bypass.

[0008] In other examples, electrical power is provided by a rechargeable energy storage system located within the vehicle.

[0009] In other examples, the first high voltage is essentially 800 volts, and the second high voltage is essentially 400 volts.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes an electric motor, an auxiliary device, and a controller. The controller determines whether the vehicle operates in a first high-voltage mode or a second high-voltage mode. In response to determining that the vehicle operates in the first high-voltage mode, the controller further causes the electric motor to be supplied with electrical power at the first high voltage and the auxiliary device to be supplied with electrical power at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage. In response to determining that the vehicle operates in the second high-voltage mode, the controller further causes the electric motor to be supplied with electrical power at the second high voltage and the auxiliary device to be supplied with electrical power at the second high voltage.

[0011] In other examples, supplying electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes turning on a DC-DC converter.

[0012] In other examples, turning on the DC-DC converter includes closing a first relay at the input of the DC-DD converter.

[0013] In other examples, supplying electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes disconnecting the DC-DC converter and bypassing the DC-DC converter.

[0014] In other examples, disconnecting the DC-DC converter includes disconnecting a first relay at the input of the DC-DD converter and closing a second relay associated with the DC-DC converter bypass.

[0015] In other examples, electrical power is provided by a rechargeable energy storage system deployed within the vehicle.

[0016] In other examples, the first high voltage is essentially 800 volts, while the second high voltage is essentially 400 volts.

[0017] In another exemplary embodiment, a system is provided. A vehicle includes a memory comprising computer-readable instructions and a processing means for executing the computer-readable instructions. The computer-readable instructions control the processing means to perform operations. These operations include determining whether the vehicle is operating in a first high-voltage mode or a second high-voltage mode. The operations further include, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high-voltage mode, providing electrical power to an electric motor at a first high voltage and providing electrical power to an auxiliary device at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage. The operations further include, in response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high-voltage mode, providing electrical power to the electric motor at a second high voltage and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage.

[0018] In other examples, supplying electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes turning on a DC-DC converter.

[0019] In other examples, turning on the DC-DC converter includes closing a first relay at the input of the DC-DD converter.

[0020] In other examples, supplying electrical power to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage includes disconnecting the DC-DC converter and bypassing the DC-DC converter.

[0021] In other examples, turning on the DC-DC converter includes turning off a first relay at the input of the DC-DD converter and turning off a second relay associated with the DC-DC converter bypass.

[0022] In other examples, electrical power is provided by a rechargeable energy storage system deployed within the vehicle.

[0023] The above-described features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages, of this disclosure will become apparent when the following detailed description is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Other features, advantages, and details appear by way of example only in the following specific embodiments, which are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a vehicle incorporating high-voltage switching according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of a high-voltage switching circuit for an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of a system for high-voltage switching of an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0028] Figure 4A This is a flowchart of a first high-voltage mode power boost method according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0029] Figure 4B This is a flowchart of a power reduction method for a first high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0030] Figure 4C This is a flowchart of a power boosting method for a second high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0031] Figure 4DThis is a flowchart of a power reduction method for a second high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of a method for high-voltage switching in an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein; and

[0033] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a processing system for implementing the techniques described herein, according to exemplary embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following description is exemplary in nature only and is not intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or use. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate similar or corresponding parts and features. As used herein, the term module refers to processing circuitry, which may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuitry, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and memories executing one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuitry, and / or other applicable components that provide the described functionality.

[0035] The technical solution described herein provides a high-voltage switching solution for electric vehicles. Some vehicles use a fixed high voltage for purposes such as supplying electrical power to the electric motor and / or auxiliary devices. However, other vehicles use a variable high voltage to supply electrical power to the electric motor. Variable voltage provides flexibility to enhance drive system efficiency, such as when high performance is not required. Auxiliary devices typically operate at a set voltage, therefore these devices do not require a variable high voltage.

[0036] One or more embodiments described herein provide an architecture and method for providing high-voltage switching for electric vehicles. According to one or more embodiments described herein, a voltage-switching RSS system (for charging) operates to advance higher efficiency. For example, when operating in a first mode (e.g., a “first high-voltage mode”), a relatively high voltage can be applied to the electric motor and a relatively low high voltage to the auxiliary device. This provides higher performance (e.g., greater torque) for the electric motor. In a second mode (e.g., a “second high-voltage mode”), the same high voltage is applied to both the electric motor and the auxiliary device. This provides improved electric motor efficiency (e.g., a longer range).

[0037] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a vehicle 100 incorporating high-voltage switching according to one or more embodiments described herein. Vehicle 100 may be a car, truck, van, bus, motorcycle, boat, aircraft, or other suitable vehicle. Figure 1In the example, vehicle 100 includes a controller 110 for controlling circuitry 112, which includes a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) 114 and a direct current (DC) to direct current converter 116. Vehicle 100 also includes an electric motor 120 coupled to a drivetrain 122 and auxiliary devices 124. Auxiliary devices 124 may include one or more devices other than the electric motor 120 that receive electrical power. Examples of auxiliary devices (such as auxiliary device 124) include, but are not limited to, climate control systems, such as heaters and / or air conditioning systems, integrated power equipment, etc., including combinations and / or multiple such devices.

[0038] RESS 114 provides electrical power to electric motor 120 and auxiliary device 124. For example, RESS 114 includes one or more batteries for receiving, storing, and supplying electrical power. Controller 110 controls aspects of circuitry 112 (e.g., one or more relays) to selectively supply electrical power from RESS 114 to electric motor 120 and auxiliary device 124, wherein the voltage of the electrical power can vary. For example, in a first mode (e.g., "first high-voltage mode"), RESS 114 supplies electrical power to electric motor 120 at a first high voltage (e.g., substantially 800 volts) and to auxiliary device 124 at a second high voltage (e.g., substantially 400 volts) via DC-DC converter 116. In a second mode (e.g., "second high-voltage mode"), RESS 114 supplies electrical power to electric motor 120 and auxiliary device 124 at a second high voltage (e.g., substantially 400 volts).

[0039] Although not shown, controller 110 may include processors (e.g., central processing unit, graphics processing unit, microprocessor, etc.), memory (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, etc.), data storage (e.g., solid-state drive, hard disk drive, etc.), etc., including combinations and / or multiple thereof. According to one or more embodiments described herein, the features and functions described herein regarding the performance of high-voltage switching can be implemented by controller 110, such as being implemented as instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, implemented as a hardware module, implemented as special-purpose hardware (e.g., special-purpose hardware, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), special-purpose processor (ASSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), embedded controller, hardwired circuit, etc.), or as some combination or a combination of these. According to various aspects of this disclosure, the engine described herein can be a combination of hardware and program. The program can be processor-executable instructions stored in tangible memory, and the hardware may include processing means for performing these instructions (e.g., Figure 6 The processor 621). Therefore, the system memory (e.g., Figure 6The RAM 624 can store program instructions that implement the engine described herein when executed by a processing device. The features and functions of the controller 110 are also described herein.

[0040] Figure 2 According to one or more embodiments described herein Figure 1 A circuit diagram of circuit 112 for high-voltage switching in electric vehicles. Circuit 112 includes RESS 114 and DC-DC converter 116, both electrically coupled to auxiliary device 124.

[0041] A first high voltage (HV1) 201 appears at the output terminals of RESS 114. The first high voltage 201 can vary depending on the operating mode of circuit 112. For example, when circuit 112 operates in a first high voltage mode, the first high voltage 201 is a relatively high voltage (e.g., essentially 800 volts); when circuit 112 operates in a second high voltage mode, the first high voltage 201 is a relatively low high voltage (e.g., essentially 400 volts). According to one or more embodiments described herein, the output of RESS 114 is supplied to electric motor 120.

[0042] As shown, a second high voltage (HV2) 202 appears across the auxiliary device 124. Many auxiliary devices operate at a fixed high voltage; therefore, it is expected that the second high voltage 202 will not change compared to the first high voltage 201. Thus, the second high voltage 202 remains fixed (within a certain operating range / tolerance). Therefore, regardless of whether circuit 112 operates in the first high voltage mode or the second high voltage mode, the second high voltage 202 remains at a relatively low high voltage (e.g., essentially 400 volts).

[0043] Circuit 112 includes relays 211 and 212, as shown, which change states between open (i.e., no power flows through the relays) and closed (i.e., power flows through the relays). When circuit 112 operates in a first high-voltage mode, relay 212 is closed and relay 211 is open. This allows power to flow from RESS 114 to auxiliary device 124 via DC-DC converter 116, as shown. DC-DC converter 116 converts the power from the first high voltage 201 to a (relatively lower) second high voltage 202. For example, when circuit 112 operates in the first high-voltage mode, if the first high voltage 201 is substantially 800 volts (e.g., measured at nodes 221, 222), DC-DC converter 116 reduces the voltage to substantially 400 volts (e.g., measured at node 223); therefore, the second high voltage 202 is reduced to substantially 400 volts.

[0044] However, when circuit 112 operates in the second high-voltage mode, relay 211 is closed and relay 212 is open. This creates a bypass via relay 211, allowing electrical power to flow from RESS 114 to auxiliary device 124 without passing through DC-DC converter 116. For example, when circuit 112 operates in the second high-voltage mode, if the first high voltage 201 is substantially 400 volts (e.g., measured at nodes 221, 222), electrical power is delivered to auxiliary device 124 via the bypass created by the closed relay 211; therefore, the resulting voltage across auxiliary device 124 (e.g., the second high voltage 202) remains the same as the first high voltage 201 (e.g., substantially 400 volts).

[0045] It should be understood that although example voltages of 400 volts and 800 volts are used to describe circuit 112, these represent only a few of many possible example voltages and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0046] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a high-voltage switching method 300 for an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein. At block 301, RESS 114 is disconnected and no electrical power flows therefrom. If the first high-voltage mode power rise method 311 occurs, method 300 proceeds to block 302 to activate the first high-voltage mode, where relay 211 is disconnected and relay 212 is closed, thereby activating the DC-DC converter 116 (see, for example...). Figure 4A Upon the occurrence of a switching event, a first high-voltage power reduction method 312 may be executed (see, for example...). Figure 4B If the second high-voltage mode power rise method 313 occurs, method 300 proceeds to block 303 to activate the second high-voltage mode, where relay 212 is disconnected and relay 211 is closed, thereby providing bypass for DC-DC converter 116 (see, for example, see...). Figure 4C Once the switching event occurs, a second high-voltage power reduction method 314 can be executed (see example...). Figure 4D ).

[0047] Figures 4A to 4D Flowcharts illustrating methods 311, 312, 313, 314 according to one or more embodiments described herein are provided. It should be understood that methods 311, 312, 313, and / or 314 can be performed by any suitable system or apparatus, such as… Figure 1 Controller 110 Figure 6 The processing system 600 or any other suitable processing system and / or processing device (e.g., a processor). Reference now. Figure 1 and Figure 2Methods 311, 312, 313, and 314 describe one or more aspects of the method, but are not limited thereto.

[0048] Figure 4A This is a flowchart of a power ramp method 311 for a first high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein. Method 311 generally includes performing initialization, performing a relay status check, closing relay 212, performing capacitor pre-charging of RESS 114, performing a system check, enabling DC-DC converter 116, and adjusting the ramp voltage to a target level to charge the output of DC-DC converter 116. Method 311 will now be described in more detail. At block 402, initialization for the first high-voltage mode is performed. At block 404, it is determined whether the voltage at node 221 is less than a threshold. If not, method 311 terminates at block 405. If so, method 311 proceeds to block 406, where relay 212 is closed. At block 408, capacitor pre-charging is performed by RESS 114. At block 410, it is determined whether the voltage of RESS minus the voltage measured at node 221 is less than a threshold. If not, pre-charging at block 408 continues until the RESS minus the voltage measured at node 221 is less than a threshold, and method 311 proceeds to block 412. At block 412, it is determined whether the voltage at node 221 is equal to the voltage at node 222. If not, a system fault is determined at block 414. If the voltage at node 221 is equal to the voltage at node 222, the RESS pre-charging ends, and the DC-DC converter 116 is enabled at block 416. At block 418, the output of the DC-DC converter 116 is controlled to raise the pre-charging ramp across the auxiliary device 124 to a target level to charge the output of the DC-DC converter 116. At block 420, both the electric motor 120 and the auxiliary device 124 are supplied with electrical power at appropriate voltage levels.

[0049] Figure 4BThis is a flowchart of a power descent method 312 for a first high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein. Method 312 generally includes performing a ramp-down on DC-DC converter 116, discharging the system capacitor and placing DC-DC converter 116 into standby mode, electrically disconnecting RESS 114, discharging the capacitor, shutting down a single power inverter module (SPIM), and disconnecting relay 212. Method 312 will now be described in more detail. At block 430, system power descent begins. At block 432, the output of DC-DC converter 116 ramps down. Then at block 434, it is determined whether the voltage at node 233 is below a threshold. If not, ramp-down continues at block 432 until the voltage at node 233 is below the threshold. Method 312 then continues to block 436, where DC-DC converter 116 is placed into standby mode. At block 438, RESS 114 is electrically disconnected from DC-DC converter 116. At box 440, capacitor discharge occurs until the threshold voltage measured at nodes 221 and 222 is reached. At box 442, relay 212 disconnects.

[0050] Figure 4C This is a flowchart of a power boost method 313 for a second high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein. Method 313 generally includes performing initialization, performing a relay status check, closing relay 211 for bypass, performing a capacitor pre-charge for RESS 114, and performing a system check. Method 313 will now be described in more detail. At block 450, system initialization occurs, and relays 211 and 212 are opened. At block 452, it is determined whether the voltages at nodes 221-223 are below a threshold. If not, method 313 terminates at block 453. If the voltages at nodes 221-223 are below the threshold, relay 211 is closed at block 454. At block 456, RESS 114 performs a capacitor pre-charge until the voltage of RESS 114 minus the voltage at node 223 is below a threshold, as determined in block 458. Once the voltage at RESS 114 minus the voltage at node 223 is below a threshold, method 313 proceeds to block 460, where it is determined whether the voltage at node 221 is equal to the voltage at node 223 and whether the voltage at node 222 is below a threshold. If either condition at block 460 is false, a system failure is considered to have occurred at block 462. Otherwise, method 313 proceeds to block 464, where RESS pre-charging ends and DC-DC converter 116 is enabled. At block 466, electric motor 120 and auxiliary device 124 are both supplied with electrical power at appropriate voltage levels.

[0051] Figure 4DThis is a flowchart of a power reduction method 314 for a second high-voltage mode according to one or more embodiments described herein. Method 314 generally includes performing a status check on relay 211, electrically disconnecting RESS 114, discharging the capacitor, shutting down the SPIM, and disconnecting relay 211. Method 314 will now be described in more detail. System power reduction begins at block 470. At block 472, it is determined whether the voltage at node 221 is equal to the voltage at node 223. If they are not equal, a system fault is considered to have occurred at block 474. If the voltage at node 221 is equal to the voltage at node 223, RESS 114 is electrically disconnected at block 476. At block 478, it is determined whether capacitor discharge has been completed and whether the voltages measured at nodes 221 and 223 are less than a threshold. Once the conditions of block 478 are met, relay 211 is disconnected at block 480.

[0052] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of a high-voltage switching method 500 for an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein. Method 500 can be performed by any suitable system or apparatus, such as... Figure 1 Controller 110 Figure 6 The processing system 600 or any other applicable processing system and / or processing device (e.g., processor). Reference now. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Method 500 describes one or more aspects of the subject, but is not limited to.

[0053] At decision box 502, controller 110 determines whether vehicle 100 is operating in a first high voltage mode or a second high voltage mode.

[0054] If it is determined at decision box 502 that vehicle 100 is operating in a first high-voltage mode, method 500 proceeds to boxes 504 and 506. At box 504, electrical power is supplied to electric motor 120 at a first high voltage (e.g., essentially 800 volts). At box 506, electrical power is supplied to auxiliary device 124 at a second high voltage (e.g., essentially 400 volts). In this example, supplying electrical power to auxiliary device 124 at the second high voltage (box 506) includes (e.g., by closing relay 212) turning on DC-DC converter 116.

[0055] If it is determined in decision box 502 that vehicle 100 is operating in a second high-voltage mode, method 500 proceeds to boxes 508 and 510. At box 508, electrical power is supplied to electric motor 120 at a second high voltage (e.g., substantially 400 volts). At box 510, electrical power is supplied to auxiliary device 124 at a second high voltage (e.g., substantially 400 volts). In this example, supplying electrical power to auxiliary device 124 at a second high voltage (box 510) includes disconnecting DC-DC converter 116 (e.g., by disconnecting relay 212) and, for example, bypassing DC-DC converter 116 by closing relay 211.

[0056] According to one or more embodiments described herein, electrical power is provided by a rechargeable energy storage system 114 deployed within vehicle 100.

[0057] Additional processes may also be included, and it should be understood that... Figure 5 The process described is an example, and other processes may be added or existing processes may be deleted, modified or rearranged without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

[0058] It should be understood that one or more embodiments described herein can be implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or developed in the future. For example, Figure 6 A block diagram of a processing system 600 for implementing the techniques described herein is depicted. In the example, the processing system 600 has one or more central processing units (“processors” or “processing resources”) 621a, 621b, 621c, etc. (collectively or generally referred to as processors 621 and / or processing means). In various aspects of this disclosure, each processor 621 may include a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) microprocessor. The processor 621 is coupled to system memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) 624) and various other components via a system bus 633. Read-only memory (ROM) 622 is coupled to the system bus 632 and may include a Basic Input / Output System (BIOS), which controls certain basic functions of the processing system 600.

[0059] Further description includes an input / output (I / O) adapter 627 and a network adapter 626 coupled to the system bus 633. The I / O adapter 627 may be a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter that communicates with a hard disk 623 and / or storage device 625 or any other similar component. The I / O adapter 627, hard disk 623, and storage device 625 are collectively referred to herein as mass storage 634. An operating system 640 for execution on the processing system 600 may be stored in the mass storage 634. The network adapter 626 interconnects the system bus 633 with an external network 636, enabling the processing system 600 to communicate with other such systems.

[0060] A display (e.g., a monitor) 635 is connected to the system bus 633 via a display adapter 632, which may include a graphics adapter and a video controller for improving the performance of graphics-intensive applications. In one aspect of this disclosure, adapters 626, 627, and / or 632 may be connected to one or more I / O buses that are connected to the system bus 633 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). Applicable I / O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically include common protocols such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Additional input / output devices are shown connected to the system bus 633 via a user interface adapter 628 and a display adapter 632. A keyboard 629, a mouse 630, and a speaker 631 may be interconnected to the system bus 623 via a user interface adapter 628, which may include, for example, a super I / O chip integrating multiple device adapters into a single integrated circuit.

[0061] In some aspects of this disclosure, the processing system 600 includes a graphics processing unit 637. The graphics processing unit 627 is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and modify memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer for output to a display. Generally, the graphics processing unit 637 is highly efficient in manipulating computer graphics and image processing, and has a highly parallel architecture, making it more efficient than general-purpose CPUs that process large blocks of data in parallel.

[0062] Therefore, as configured herein, the processing system 600 includes processing capabilities in the form of a processor 621, storage capabilities including system memory (e.g., RAM 624) and mass storage 634, input components such as a keyboard 629 and a mouse 630, and output capabilities including a speaker 631 and a display 635. In some aspects of this disclosure, a portion of the system memory (e.g., RAM 624) and the mass storage 634 jointly store an operating system 640 to coordinate the functionality of the various components shown in the processing system 600.

[0063] The various examples described in this disclosure are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described techniques. The terminology used herein has been chosen to best explain the principles of the technology, its practical application, or technical improvements to the technology found in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the technology disclosed herein.

[0064] While the foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made without departing from its scope, and its elements can be substituted with equivalents. Furthermore, many modifications can be made to adapt particular situations or materials to the teachings of this disclosure without departing from the basic scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this technology is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but will include all embodiments falling within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for high-voltage switching in electric vehicles, comprising: Determine whether the vehicle is operating in the first high-voltage mode or the second high-voltage mode; In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high voltage mode, electrical power is supplied to the electric motor at the first high voltage, and electrical power is supplied to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage; as well as In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high-voltage mode, electrical power is supplied to the electric motor at the second high voltage, and electrical power is also supplied to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage. Providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning on the DC-to-DC converter, and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning off the DC-to-DC converter and turning on the DC-to-DC converter bypass.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Turning on the DC-to-DC converter includes closing a first relay at the input of the DC-to-DC converter.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Disconnecting the DC-to-DC converter includes opening a first relay at the input of the DC-to-DC converter and closing a second relay associated with the bypass of the DC-to-DC converter.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The electrical power is provided by a rechargeable energy storage system deployed within the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first high voltage is 800 volts, and the second high voltage is 400 volts.

6. A vehicle comprising: Electric motor; Auxiliary devices; as well as Controller, for use in: Determine whether the vehicle is operating in a first high-voltage mode or a second high-voltage mode; In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high voltage mode, power is supplied to the electric motor at the first high voltage, and power is supplied to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage. as well as In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high-voltage mode, electrical power is supplied to the electric motor at the second high voltage, and electrical power is also supplied to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage. Providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning on the DC-to-DC converter, and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning off the DC-to-DC converter and turning on the DC-to-DC converter bypass.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein, Providing electrical power to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage includes turning on the DC-to-DC converter.

8. A system for high-voltage switching in electric vehicles, comprising: Memory, which includes computer-readable instructions; as well as Processing device for executing the computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions controlling the processing device to perform operations, the operations including: Determine whether the vehicle is operating in the first high-voltage mode or the second high-voltage mode; In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the first high-voltage mode, power is supplied to the electric motor at the first high voltage, and power is supplied to the auxiliary device at a second high voltage different from the first high voltage; and In response to determining that the vehicle is operating in the second high-voltage mode, electrical power is supplied to the electric motor at the second high voltage, and electrical power is also supplied to the auxiliary device at the second high voltage. Providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning on the DC-to-DC converter, and providing electrical power to the auxiliary device with the second high voltage includes turning off the DC-to-DC converter and turning on the DC-to-DC converter bypass.

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