A vehicle control device includes a sensor configured to sense driving information of a vehicle, and a controller. The controller is configured to activate or deactivate a fuel conservation mode of the vehicle based on a user input, and restrict acceleration of an engine of the vehicle to be within a predetermined range based on an accelerator pedal of the vehicle being pressed with a force that is greater than a threshold force and based on the vehicle being in an activated state of the fuel conservation mode. The controller is also configured to, based on the driving information satisfying a first condition, release a restriction on the acceleration of the engine of the vehicle in the activated state of the fuel-conservation mode.

A method for operating a powertrain of a hybrid vehicle is provided. The method includes outputting via a controller an engine speed command that is based on a predicted impeller speed of a torque converter and corresponds to the accelerator tip-in to output a torque from the engine to wheels of the vehicle in response to detection of an accelerator pedal tip-in greater than a predetermined threshold. The method may also include accessing a history of impeller speed outputs of the hybrid vehicle to obtain the predicted impeller speed. The engine speed command may set engine speed substantially equal to or greater than the predicted impeller speed. The predetermined threshold may be based on a driver requested torque output of the wheels in which torque from the torque converter to the wheels results in saturation.

The present disclosure provides a hybrid electric vehicle, a drive control method and a drive control device of a hybrid electric vehicle. The drive control method includes: obtaining a current gear position and a current operating mode of the hybrid electric vehicle, a current electric charge level of a power battery and a slope of a road where the hybrid electric vehicle is; determining whether the hybrid electric vehicle is within a taxiing start-stop interval according to the current gear position of the hybrid electric vehicle, the current electric charge level of the power battery, and the slope of the road; if the hybrid electric vehicle is within the taxiing start-stop interval, further obtaining a current speed of the hybrid electric vehicle; and causing the hybrid electric vehicle to enter a small load stop mode or a small load stall mode according to the current speed.

A vehicle control system is provided to improve a response and an acceleration feel of a vehicle having a continuously variable transmission. The vehicle control system is configured to control an output power of a prime mover and a speed ratio of a transmission in such a manner that an actual driving force is increased stepwise to the required driving force to be achieved by a kick-downshifting so as to temporarily hold an increase in an acceleration during execution of the kick-downshifting.

Provided is a control apparatus of a vehicle, which includes a transmission mode switching control program for controlling the automatic transmission to switch between an automatic transmission mode and a manual transmission mode, a coast idle stop control program for performing a coast idle stop control in which the engine is stopped automatically and the automatic transmission is changed into a neutral position while the vehicle is traveling, and a coast idle control program for performing a coast idle control in which the engine is made running idle and the automatic transmission is changed into the neutral position while the vehicle is traveling.

A vehicle accessory power management assembly includes a vehicle speed sensor, an accelerator sensor, an accessory device, a power transmitting device and a controller. The power transmitting device receives rotational power from a power device and transmits it to the accessory device. The power transmitting device is switchable between a first operating state and a second operating state. In the first operating state the accessory device is operated at a first power consumption level and in the second operating state the accessory device is operated at a second power consumption level lower than the first power consumption level. The controller is configured to switch the switching part from the first operating state to the second operating state in response to determining that a current level of acceleration requested of the power device is of greater importance than operating the accessory device at the first operating state.

When a kickdown switch is turned off, a target rotation speed of an engine is set on the basis of a vehicle speed and a gear and the engine, the first motor, and the second motor are controlled such that the smaller driving force of an upper-limit driving force based on the target rotation speed and a required driving force is output to a drive shaft and the engine rotates at the target rotation speed. On the other hand, when the kickdown switch is turned on, the target rotation speed is set to be higher than that when the kickdown switch is turned off on the basis of the vehicle speed and the gear and the engine, the first motor, and the second motor are controlled such that the required driving force is output to the drive shaft and the engine rotates at the target rotation speed.

In a vehicle, a first rotating electrical machine, is connected to first wheels via a clutch, and second rotating electrical machines are connected to second wheels or the first wheels without going through the clutch. A power control device allocates electric power to the second rotating electrical machines with higher priority over the first rotating electrical machine when adding additional power to power of an internal combustion engine, thereby generating power of the second rotating electrical machines with higher priority over power of the first rotating electrical machine.

A power control device of a vehicle disallows generation of additional power of rotating electrical machines when power of an internal combustion engine is transmitted to a transmission via a clutch and an amount of operation of an accelerator pedal is lower than an operation threshold value. The power control device allows generation of additional power of the rotating electrical machines when power of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the transmission via the clutch and the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal is higher than the operation threshold value.

The present disclosure provides a control method for front and rear wheel torque distribution of an electric 4 wheel drive (E-4WD) hybrid electric vehicle. The control method includes: determining one of a fuel efficiency optimization mode and a 4WD mode from vehicle state information and driver's driving manipulation input information; calculating a driver request total torque amount; when the 4WD mode is determined, calculating a rear wheel torque amount for the 4WD; calculating a front wheel torque amount for the 4WD; calculating a front wheel engine torque amount for the 4WD; and controlling a torque output of an engine for front wheel driving and a torque output of a driving motor for rear wheel driving according to the calculated front wheel engine torque amount for 4WD and the calculated rear wheel torque amount for 4WD.