One embodiment is a method of operating an electronic control system (ECS) to control an engine to propel a vehicle. The method comprises receiving a throttle command, determining an operation to increase engine cycle efficiency by reducing engine torque below a magnitude corresponding to the throttle command and below a torque curve limit over a first vehicle operation segment and permitting an increase in engine torque above the torque curve limit over a second vehicle operation segment, controlling the engine to output torque below the magnitude corresponding to the throttle command and below the torque curve limit over the first vehicle operation segment, and controlling the engine to output torque above the torque curve limit over the second vehicle operation segment in response to a second received throttle command and constrained by an extended limit on operation of the engine above the torque curve limit.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling vehicle operating parameters depending on whether the vehicle is operating within an area defined by an adjustable geographical boundary, the adjustable geographical boundary defined based on wireless communication between vehicles and infrastructures. In one example, a method comprises determining that the vehicle has entered into an area defined by the adjustable boundary, and adjusting a control mapping of an acceleration control of the vehicle in response to the determining. In this way, fuel economy, emissions, and customer satisfaction may be improved.

A controller for the hybrid vehicle selects an engine as a power apparatus of the hybrid vehicle when a request load is higher than a threshold load, and selects ae motor as the power apparatus when the request load is equal to or lower than the threshold load. The controller sets the threshold load in accordance with a SOC of a battery, and decreases the threshold load as the SOC is lower in at least a predetermined SOC range. The controller controls an intake air temperature during stopping of the engine to a target intake air temperature by operating an intake air temperature variable system when the motor is selected as the power apparatus. The controller sets the target intake air temperature in accordance with the SOC, and increases the target intake air temperature as the SOC is lower in at least the predetermined SOC range.

The control apparatus closes the throttle, opens the bypass valve and supplies electric power to the electric compressor in a case where the remaining battery power of the battery is larger than the reference level when regenerative braking is performed with the first motor generator. The electric compressor is provided on the intake passage upstream of the throttle. The bypass valve is provided on the bypass passage that bypasses the electric compressor. According to the hybrid vehicle configured as above, regenerative braking force to be required can be obtained by performing electric power regeneration using the generator even when there is a constraint on regenerated electric power that the battery can accept.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing temperature of an engine or single cylinder(s) of the engine at start/stop events where the engine is stopped from combusting air and fuel, and in response to an overheating engine condition. In one example, a method comprises activating an electric air compressor to direct cooling air flow through a first single cylinder of the engine, to reduce a temperature of the first single cylinder to a desired temperature prior to a request to restart the engine. In this way, a single cylinder indicated to be overheating may be effectively cooled, without employing methodology that would otherwise cool the engine as a whole, which may thus prevent engine degradation and which may conserve power of an onboard energy storage device.

A vehicle control system to accurately control a vehicle by estimating a position of an accelerator pedal. In a first phase of an operation of the accelerator pedal in which a depression of the accelerator pedal increases, a first predicted value of a position of the accelerator pedal is calculated by a first calculation procedure based on the position of the accelerator in the first phase. In a second phase in which the change amount of the position of the accelerator plateaus, a second predicted value of the position of the accelerator pedal is calculated by a second calculation procedure based on the position of the accelerator in the second phase. In a third phase in which the change amount of the position of the accelerator decreases, the second predicted value is employed as the predicted value of the position of the accelerator pedal.

A controller is configured to respond to an engine start command, operate the engine to produce excess torque beyond a demand torque, and in response to engine speed achieving a threshold, operate the starter-generator to load the engine to consume the excess torque and drive the engine speed toward an electric machine speed, and engage a clutch to couple the engine and an electric machine.

A method for obtaining gear shifting of a vehicle, where the vehicle has a planetary gearing in the drive train, a combustion engine with an output shaft connected to a rotor of a second electric machine and to a first component of the planetary gearing, a first electric machine with a rotor connected to a third component of the planetary gearing and an input shaft of a gearbox connected to a second component of the planetary gearing. The method is started with the components of the planetary gearing interlocked by a locking means, in which they are released during the gear shifting and interlocked again after the gear shifting has been carried out.

A variable speed hybrid electric supercharger assembly is controlled to regulate an adaptive state of charge of an energy storage device and/or to boost an engine based on a performance mode selected by a driver. In one example, a reference state of charge is determined based upon driving characteristics of a vehicle and compared to an actual state of charge of the energy storage device. If the difference indicates a deficit, an operation mode is selected to regenerate the energy storage device. In another example, a planetary gearing arrangement between an engine and an electric motor is configured to increase or decrease power transferred to the supercharger by the engine based upon the performance mode selected by the driver.

An engine includes a dynamo-electric machine which generates electricity by the rotation of the engine; a secondary battery which stores electricity generated by the dynamo-electric machine; an electric supercharger including an electric compressor for supercharging intake air into combustion chambers; and a mechanical supercharger including an exhaust turbine configured to be driven by exhaust gas in the exhaust passage, and a mechanical compressor configured to supercharge intake air into the combustion chamber. An ECU (50) includes a remaining charge detector for detecting the remaining amount of charge of the secondary battery; and a supercharge control means for adjusting the ratio between a supercharging pressure by the electric supercharger and a supercharging pressure by the mechanical supercharger according to the remaining amount of charge of the secondary battery.