Methods and systems are provided for improving the operating range of an electric vehicle having an engine wherein waste heat generated during motor operation is transferred to pre-heat the engine. Engine starting is predicted based on the electrical torque demand of the vehicle relative to the actual and predicted electrical energy consumption of the electric vehicle. Prior to starting the engine to charge a battery of the motor, various engine components are pre-heated in an order that improves vehicle range while also optimizing fuel economy.

An engine includes an EGR device and a water-cooled heat exchanger. The water-cooled heat exchanger is provided on a downstream side of an EGR gas-introduction portion of an intake passage into which EGR gas is to be introduced and exchanges heat with gas flowing in the intake passage. A control device is programmed to execute condensed water-suppression control that supplies coolant having a temperature higher than the temperature of the gas heat-exchanged in the water-cooled heat exchanger to the water-cooled heat exchanger while a hybrid vehicle is traveling in a state in which the engine is stopped.

A control device 60 of a vehicle drive device comprises a processing part 81 configured to use a trained model using a neural network to calculate at least one output parameter of a vehicle, and a control part 82 configured to control the vehicle drive device. The neural network includes a first input layer to which at least one first input parameter of the vehicle at a first point of time is input, a second input layer to which at least one second input parameter of the vehicle at a second point of time is input, a first hidden layer to which outputs of the first input layer are input, a second hidden layer to which at least one value correlated with the outputs of the first hidden layer, and outputs of the second input layer are input, and an output layer outputting at least one output parameter.

A passenger compartment of a hybrid electric vehicle is heated without operating an engine when passing through a specific zone using information about a route to a destination and a heating control method. The heating control method includes, when determined that a specific zone related to discharge of exhaust gas is present on a traveling route, determining a target coolant temperature, which is a coolant temperature to be reached when entering the specific zone, determining a coolant temperature increase distance necessary to reach the target coolant temperature, determining the time at which to start temperature increase control using the determined coolant temperature increase distance, and operating an engine from the time at which to start the temperature increase control until entering the specific zone.

A control device for a hybrid vehicle is provided. When a first drive mode is selected as the drive mode of the hybrid vehicle, a control section shifts the drive mode to a second drive mode when a charge amount of a battery for an electric motor becomes smaller than or equal to a determination charge amount. The first drive mode operates the electric motor while an internal combustion engine is stopped. The second drive mode permits the operation of the internal combustion engine. The control section executes a shifting process when the upper limit system output is lower than or equal to a startup determination output even though the charge amount of the battery is greater than the determination charge amount. The shifting process shifts the drive mode to the second drive mode to start the internal combustion engine.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein include a system including a heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and a controller coupled to the HVAC system. The controller is configured to receive internal vehicle information, external static information, and external dynamic information, and to control operation of the HVAC system based on the internal vehicle information, external static information, and external dynamic information.

In the present invention, when an engine of a hybrid vehicle is in a cooled state, a control device 70 thereof performs control so as to disengage an engine clutch 14 configured from a wet multi-disc clutch and supply electrical power to a motor generator 21 from a high-voltage battery 24 to rotationally drive the motor generator 21 in order to agitate clutch oil 86 in the engine clutch 14 and raise the temperature thereof.

Methods and systems are provided for using compression heating to heat a cylinder piston before cylinder combustion is resumed. Cylinder heating is achieved using combinations of slow unfueled engine rotation where the engine cylinders are heated via compression stroke heating, and slow compressor rotation where the cylinders are heated via compression heating. One or more intake or exhaust heaters may be concurrently operated to expedite cylinder heating.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein provide for receiving internal vehicle information, external static information, and external dynamic information; controlling the operation of one or more electronic accessories of the vehicle based on the received information; and managing a power supply for the one or more electronic accessories based on the energy usage and the operation of the electronic accessories.

A system and method are provided for hybrid electric internal combustion engine applications in which a motor-generator, a narrow switchable coupling and a torque transfer unit therebetween are arranged and positioned in the constrained environment at the front of an engine in applications such as commercial vehicles, off-road vehicles and stationary engine installations. The motor-generator is preferably positioned laterally offset from the switchable coupling, which is co-axially-arranged with the front end of the engine crankshaft. The switchable coupling is an integrated unit in which a crankshaft vibration damper, an engine accessory drive pulley and a disengageable clutch overlap such that the axial depth of the clutch-pulley-damper unit is nearly the same as a conventional belt drive pulley and engine damper. The front end motor-generator system includes an electrical energy store that receives electrical energy generated by the motor-generator when the coupling is engaged. When the coupling is disengaged, the motor-generator may drive the pulley portion of the clutch-pulley-damper to drive the engine accessories using energy returned from the energy store, independent of the engine crankshaft.