A vehicle and a control method thereof are provided. The vehicle includes an engine, a catalytic converter including catalyst for purifying exhaust gas discharged from the engine and a sensing unit that is disposed between the engine and the catalytic converter. The sensing unit outputs an electrical signal in response to sensing of gas and a controller starts the engine based on the electrical signal output from the sensing unit and a mileage of the vehicle.

Methods and systems are provided for synergizing the benefits of an engine exhaust driven fuel reformer in a hybrid vehicle system. A vehicle controller may hold the engine in a narrow operating range where fuel reformer operation is optimal while using motor and/or CVT adjustments to address transients generated as driver demand varies. The controller may also adjust an operating range of temperatures of the reformer to enable extended fuel reforming even after the engine of the hybrid has been shutdown.

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.

A vehicle drive system for a vehicle including a first prime mover, a first prime mover driven transmission, and a rechargeable power source can be configured for reduced fuel consumption at idle. The vehicle drive system includes an electric motor in direct or indirect mechanical communication with the first prime mover. The control system causes fuel to be eliminated to the first prime mover while the vehicle is stopped and causes the electric motor to rotate the first prime mover at a speed, thereby reducing fuel consumption at idle for the vehicle.

A variety of methods and arrangements for reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect, a firing sequence is used to operate the engine in a skip fire manner. A smoothing torque is determined that is applied to a powertrain by an energy storage/release device. The smoothing torque is arranged to at least partially cancel out variation in torque generated by the skip fire firing sequence. Various methods, powertrain controllers, arrangements and computer software related to the above operations are also described.

A power system is disclosed. The power system may include one or more memories and a controller. The controller may determine an exhaust temperature of an engine associated with a continuously variable transmission or a hybrid transmission. The controller may determine a target increase to the exhaust temperature based on the exhaust temperature failing to satisfy a threshold. The controller may determine, based on a lookup table, a target increase to a torque output of the engine based on the target increase to the exhaust temperature. The controller may cause a parasitic torque of the engine to be increased based on the target increase to the torque output.

Various embodiments include a control system for the regeneration of a particle filter in an exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine of a hybrid vehicle including an electric machine comprising: a particle filter; a temperature sensor measuring an actual temperature of the filter; a first heat source upstream of the filter; and a controller. The controller is programmed to: determine a temperature difference between a setpoint temperature for regeneration of the particle filter and the actual temperature of the particle filter; calculate a power output difference to be applied based at least in part on the temperature difference; and control the first heat source using the power output difference.

A control method for a hybrid vehicle is provided. The hybrid vehicle includes: a power generator that charges a battery using power of an engine; an electric motor that drives a driving wheel by electric power of the battery; a particulate filter that collects particulate matters contained in exhaust gas from the engine. In the control method, electric power is supplied from the battery to the power generator to perform a motoring operation of rotating the engine by the power generator to supply air to the particulate filter when particulate matters of a first predetermined amount or more are accumulated in the particulate filter. And motoring operation is prohibited even if the particulate filter is accumulated with particulate matters of the first predetermined amount or more when a predetermined first condition that a driver does not intend a motoring operation is satisfied.

A control method for a hybrid vehicle is provided. The hybrid vehicle includes: a generator configured to charge a battery by using power of an engine; an electric motor configured to drive a driving wheel by electric power of the battery; and a particulate filter configured to collect particulate matter contained in exhaust gas from the engine. In the control method, the engine is driven to raise a temperature of the particulate filter when a first temperature rise condition is satisfied in which a first predetermined amount or more of the particulate matter is accumulated in the particulate filter and the temperature of the particulate filter is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Drive of the engine is prohibited, when a predetermined first condition that a driver does not intend to drive the engine is satisfied.

A controller includes an engine controlling section and a motor-generator controlling section. The controller is configured to use the engine controlling section and the motor-generator controlling section to execute an intermittent stop control, a temperature increase control, an intermittent stop prohibition control, and a motoring control. The intermittent stop control automatically stops and restarts operation of an internal combustion engine. The temperature increase control increases the temperature of a filter in the exhaust passage to a temperature at which PM can be burned. The intermittent stop prohibition control prohibits stop of the operation of the internal combustion engine by the intermittent stop control until the temperature increase control is completed. The motoring control drives the output shaft of the internal combustion engine by the motor-generator, thereby forcibly rotating the internal combustion engine.