Abstract: A battery balancing method for balancing voltages of battery packs on a bus bar of a utility vehicle is disclosed. The method includes determining, by a control system, a state of charge for a first battery pack and a second battery pack of the utility vehicle, initiating converter battery balancing, by the control system, to discharge the first battery pack to the second battery pack through a DC-to-DC converter in response the first battery pack having a state of charge that is more than a first threshold amount above a state of charge of the second battery pack, and initiating direct battery balancing, by the control system, to discharge the first battery pack to the second battery pack in response to the first battery pack having a state of charge that is less than the first threshold amount above the state of charge of the second battery pack.

Abstract: A vehicle control module for an autonomous vehicle. In one example embodiment, the control module is configured to receive, from a user interface, a user input selecting an operation mode. The module is configured to, responsive to receiving the user input, retrieve, from a memory, a discrete operational parameter set associated with the operation mode. The module is configured to apply the discrete operational parameter set. The module is configured to operate a drive motor of the utility vehicle, a drive wheel of the utility vehicle, a utility device of the utility vehicle, a power source of the utility vehicle, and the user interface according to the discrete operational parameter set.