Patent attributes
A drive train (10) for driving a motor vehicle has a combustion engine (12) for providing purely mechanical drive for the motor vehicle. A transmission (16) can be coupled to the combustion engine (12) via a shaft unit (14) for transmitting torque between the motor vehicle transmission (16) and the combustion engine (12). A reserve volume (18) is between the combustion engine (12) and the motor vehicle transmission (16) and is penetrated by the shaft unit (14). The reserve volume (18) can accommodate a high-voltage electric machine for purely electric drive of the motor vehicle or a low-voltage electric machine (32) for applying an electrically generated assistance torque to the motor vehicle transmission (16). As a result, a hybrid functionality can be made available to an at least limited degree, with the result that a cost-effective drive train (10) configured for a hybrid motor vehicle is made possible.