The doubly fed dual-rotor flux-modulated (DFDRFM) machine is a promising electrical continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) concept for the hybrid electric vehicles as it has two mechanical ports and two electrical ports, which are highly desirable for E-CVT. In this paper, a novel DFDRFM machine is proposed. Compared with previous designs, the most prominent merits are its compactness and robustness. In addition, it is easy to manufacture. After introducing its structure and working principle, the influence of dimensions on its torque and loss is analyzed. A genetic algorithm and finite-element method-based design optimization method, which aims to increase the efficiency of the proposed machine, is presented.