A method of controlling a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle including an electric propulsion system, an engine, and a catalytic converter associated with the engine, the method comprising: monitoring a state of charge of a battery of the vehicle when in a charge depletion mode; determining a rate of depletion of the state of charge; estimating from the rate of depletion a duration of a depletion period representing the time remaining until a minimum state of charge of the battery will be reached; determining a duration of a warming period of the catalytic converter; comparing the duration of the depletion period and the duration of the warming period; and activating the engine if the duration of the depletion period is less than or equal to the duration of the warming period.

A motor vehicle includes an engine having, in an exhaust system thereof, a particulate matter removal filter that removes particulate matters, a shift device capable of performing a sequential shift operation, and an electronic control unit that controls the engine such that the motor vehicle runs in accordance with a driver's operation. The electronic control unit is configured to perform control in such a manner as to cause the vehicle to run without carrying out a shift even when the sequential shift operation is performed by the driver, if a deposition amount of particulate matters deposited in the particulate matter removal filter is equal to or larger than a predetermined amount. Thus, the particulate matter removal filter can be restrained from being overheated through the supply of a large amount of air to the particulate matter removal filter with the predetermined amount or more of particulate matters deposited therein.

Various teachings herein include a method of operating a vehicle comprising a combustion engine, an electric motor, and an electrically heated catalyst. The method includes: simultaneously evaluating energy consumption and emissions due to increasing or decreasing catalyst heating actions and due to increasing or decreasing electric motor torque based on an operating model; and determining an operating mode for each of the combustion engine, electric motor, and electrically heatable catalyst using the operating model to optimize operation based on an optimization goal.

A method for regenerating a particulate filter (30) that is arranged in the exhaust train of an internal combustion engine (12) of a vehicle. The vehicle has a drive train (10) with the internal combustion engine (12) and a clutch unit (18), and the clutch unit (18) connects the internal combustion engine (12) in a separable manner to a transmission (20). The method includes switching off the internal combustion engine (12), and closing the clutch unit (18) with a slip.

When a temperature of a catalyst in an exhaust emission control device mounted in an exhaust system of an engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature at a time of a request for stopping the engine, a hybrid vehicle including the engine and a motor continues fuel injection of the engine until satisfaction of a predetermined condition and stops fuel injection of the engine on satisfaction of the predetermined condition. When the temperature of the catalyst is lower than the predetermined temperature at the time of the request for stopping the engine, on the other hand, the hybrid vehicle immediately stops fuel injection of the engine.

Systems and methods of electrically heating catalyst (EHC) driver notification are provided. With the goal of increasing driver cooperation in reducing emissions, EHC driver notification systems notify the driver when the EHC is in an inefficient operation state. This notification is provided to the driver so that the driver may consciously operate the vehicle in a fashion that reduces emissions while the EHC is in the inefficient operation state. EHC driver notifications systems may also restrict operation of the vehicle when the EHC is in an inefficient operation state. However, for safety reasons, these systems provide the driver a function to bypass the restriction as needed.

The hybrid vehicle is provide with the control device configured to permit fuel cutoff of the engine when the SOC of the power storage device is greater than a first predetermined ratio, an amount of particulate matter deposited on the filter is less than a first predetermined amount, or a temperature of the filter is lower than a predetermined temperature. The control device is configured to set the allowable upper-limit ratio of the SOC: to a second predetermined ratio greater than the first predetermined ratio when the PM amount is less than a second predetermined amount less than the first predetermined amount, and to a third predetermined ratio equal to or less than the first predetermined ratio when the PM amount is equal to or greater than the second predetermined amount.

A method for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions of a diesel vehicle. In this context, first state variables of the diesel vehicle are measured with the aid of sensors of the diesel vehicle, and using an arithmetic unit, it is ascertained, as a function of the first state variables, if the nitrogen oxide emissions are exceeding a predetermined threshold, or using the arithmetic unit, it is predicted, as a function of the first state variables, if the nitrogen oxide emissions will exceed the predetermined threshold. If exceedance of the threshold is calculated or predicted, then an intervention in the current torque demand of the diesel vehicle and/or an intervention in the current transmission ratio or setting of a transmission of the diesel vehicle is ascertained by the arithmetic unit; the intervention contributing to a reduction in the nitrogen oxide emissions to a value below the threshold.

A vehicle 1 comprises an internal combustion engine 10, a filter 61, a motor 16, a battery 20, a trapped amount calculating part 91 configured to calculate an amount of particulate matter, a state-of-charge estimating part 92 configured to estimate a state of charge of the battery, an engine load setting part 93 configured to set an engine load, and an internal combustion engine control part 94. The engine load setting part is configured to make the engine load increase in the case where the amount of the particulate matter is relatively large compared to the case where the amount of the particulate matter is relatively small when it is estimated that the battery can be charged. The engine load setting part is configured to change an amount of increase of the engine load in accordance with the amount of the particulate matter when making the engine load increase.

A vehicular breaking force control system includes: a plurality of actuators capable of generating a braking force for a vehicle; a coasting state detection unit configured to detect that a coasting state has been established; a target braking force calculation unit configured to calculate a target braking force on the basis of a state of the vehicle when the coasting state detection unit detects that the coasting state has been established; and a braking force distribution control unit configured to determine a distribution braking force that is a braking force to be caused to be generated by each actuator, such that the distribution braking force is equal to or less than a braking force generable by the actuator and a sum of the distribution braking forces is equal to the target braking force, and to perform control of causing each actuator to generate the distribution braking force.