Abstract
An electrical 4WD system has been developed that does not require any mechanical means of transmitting power from the engine to the rear wheels and has been commercialized as the e-4WD system on the March and Cube compact car models sold in the Japanese market. In this system, the rear wheels are driven by a dc motor connected directly to a generator to deliver the practical 4WD performance needed in everyday use. Both the front and rear wheels are provided with an independent traction control system (TCS) to achieve operating ease substantially superior to that of conventional mechanical 4WD system.