A brake/drive force control system includes: a requested acceleration calculating section; a powertrain control section calculating a minimum brake/drive force at the time of no fuel cut and a fuel-cut brake/drive force, generating larger one of a requested brake/drive force and the minimum brake/drive force when the requested brake/drive force is larger than the fuel-cut brake/drive force, and generating the fuel-cut brake/drive force when the requested brake/drive force is equal to or smaller than the fuel-cut brake/drive force; a brake control section generating a requested brake force; and a brake/drive force control section calculating the requested brake/drive force from requested acceleration, requesting the powertrain control section for the requested brake/drive force, acquiring the brake/drive force generated by a powertrain, and when the requested brake/drive force is smaller than the acquired brake/drive force, requesting the brake control section for a difference between the requested brake/drive force and the acquired brake/drive force.

Spark ignition engine operation at higher RPM so as to reduce alcohol requirements in high efficiency alcohol enhanced gasoline engines is disclosed. Control of engine upspeeding (use of a higher ratio of engine RPM to wheel RPM) so as to achieve an alcohol reduction objective while limiting any decrease in efficiency is described. High RPM alcohol enhanced gasoline engine operation in plug-in series hybrid powertrains for heavy duty trucks and other vehicles is also described.

A driving control method for a hybrid vehicle including an electric motor and an engine includes, when an acceleration request via manipulation of an accelerating pedal and a deceleration request via manipulation of a brake pedal are simultaneously made in a situation in which a predetermined condition is satisfied, implementing the acceleration request as torque of the engine, and implementing the deceleration request as regenerative brake torque of the electric motor.

A control apparatus is configured to control a vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine, a generator configured to generate electric power by using motive power outputted from the engine, and a drive motor coupled to a drive wheel. The engine, the generator, and the drive motor are coupled to each other via a planetary gear mechanism. The control apparatus includes a processor configured to diagnose a state of at least one of the engine, the generator, or the drive motor on the basis of a relationship between a rotational speed of the engine, a rotational speed of the generator, and a rotational speed of the drive motor.

A controller for a vehicle is provided. An air supply passage is connected to a portion upstream of a filter in an exhaust passage. An air supplying process supplies air to the filter through an air supply passage by driving an air pump. An oxygen supplying process supplies oxygen to the filter through the exhaust passage, the oxygen having been passed through a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. A reducing process sets an air supply amount per unit time in the air supplying process obtained when the oxygen supplying process and the air supplying process are simultaneously executed to be lower than the air supply amount per unit time in the air supplying process obtained when the oxygen supplying process and the air supplying process are not simultaneously executed.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling an engine idle-stop based on upcoming traffic and road conditions. In one example, a method may include receiving data including traffic information and road characteristics immediately ahead of a vehicle from one or more remote sources, and adjusting one or more vehicle thresholds based on the received data. A duration of a prospective engine idle-stop may be estimated based on the received data and an engine idle-stop may be initiated based on the duration of the prospective engine idle-stop and the adjusted one or more vehicle threshold.

A vehicle control device is configured to: execute a fuel cut control for stopping fuel supply to the internal combustion engine in response to a deceleration request to the vehicle; engage the lock-up clutch and open a throttle of the vehicle during the execution of the fuel cut control; close the throttle and execute the motor assist in a case where there is an acceleration request to the vehicle while the lock-up clutch is engaged, the throttle is opened, and the fuel cut control is executed; end the fuel cut control and resume fuel supply to the internal combustion engine when an intake pressure of the internal combustion engine reaches a predetermined startable negative pressure after the throttle is closed; and disengage the lock-up clutch when the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is resumed.

A control apparatus is configured to control a vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine, a generator configured to generate electric power by using motive power outputted from the engine, and a drive motor coupled to a drive wheel. The engine, the generator, and the drive motor are coupled to each other via a planetary gear mechanism. The control apparatus includes a processor configured to diagnose a state of at least one of the engine, the generator, or the drive motor on the basis of a relationship between a rotational speed of the engine, a rotational speed of the generator, and a rotational speed of the drive motor.

A driving force control device for a vehicle is provided, which includes a motor, an engine, and a controller. The controller sets a target torque of the vehicle corresponding to accelerator operation, distributes a target engine torque, based on the target torque, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the target engine torque. The controller estimates a future amount of intake air to a cylinder based on the target engine torque, and estimates an engine torque after a setup time from the present time based on the estimated future amount of intake air. The controller sets a target motor torque after the setup time based on the estimated engine torque after the setup time so that the target torque is achieved, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the target motor torque to synchronize a torque response of the engine with a torque response of the motor.

A driving force control device for a vehicle is provided, which includes a motor, an engine, and a controller. The controller sets a target torque of the vehicle corresponding to accelerator operation, and distributes a target engine torque according to a distribution rule defined beforehand, based on the target torque of the vehicle, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the target engine torque to the engine. The controller estimates a future amount of intake air to a cylinder based on the target engine torque, and estimates a torque of the engine in the future based on the estimated future amount of intake air. The controller sets a target motor torque based on the estimated torque of the engine so that the target torque of the vehicle is achieved in the future, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the target motor torque to the motor.