Patent attributes
The invention relates to a power unit, in particular for a hybrid vehicle, comprising a two-cylinder reciprocating piston engine comprising two pistons guided in two cylinders in tandem arrangement, and two counter-rotating crankshafts connected to the pistons by connecting rods, a generator which is rotatable in the same direction as the first crankshaft and in the opposite direction to the second crankshaft, and a balancer shaft which is rotatable in the same direction as the second crankshaft and in the opposite direction to the first crankshaft. The generator is operatively connected directly to the first crankshaft by a first traction mechanism and the balancer shaft is operatively connected directly to the second crankshaft by a second traction mechanism. The balancer shaft and/or the second crankshaft support(s) a flywheel mass element. The invention further relates to a vehicle, in particular a hybrid vehicle, having such a power unit.
