Disclosed are a hybrid electric vehicle and an engine control method therefor that are capable of reducing entry of an engine into a full-load drive mode. The method includes determining whether the extent of depression of an accelerator pedal (APS) may be equal to or greater than a reference value set as a condition for entry of an engine into a full-load drive mode, determining a part-load torque corresponding to the maximum torque in a part-load drive mode of the engine and a motor torque corresponding to the maximum torque of a motor when the extent of depression of the accelerator pedal may be equal to or greater than the reference value, comparing the sum of the part-load torque and the motor torque with a driver demand torque, and controlling the engine in the full-load drive mode or the part-load drive mode depending on a result of the comparing.

A steering control system adapted for use on a vehicle having two or more wheels each configured to rotate about a rotational axis, at least one of the wheels being a driven wheel and at least one of the wheels being a turning wheel, and an automatic pivot steer mode. The system further comprises a vehicle speed sensor, a steering sensor, a steering control device, a speed control device, and a controller in communication with the speed sensor, the steering sensor, and the speed control device. The controller receives inputs from the speed sensor and the steering sensor and, if both inputs fall within a predetermined range, activates a speed control device thereby altering the rotational speed or direction of at least one of the two or more wheels of the vehicle, reducing the turning radius of the vehicle.

A control unit is provided for a vehicle having an internal combustion engine with a shaft, which can be coupled to an electric machine or decoupled from the electric machine. The control unit is designed to couple the electric machine to the internal combustion engine during an engine stop of the internal combustion engine. The control unit causes the electric machine to guide the shaft of the internal combustion engine. The control unit determines that a speed of the guided shaft is equal to or less than a speed threshold value and, in response thereto, decouples the electric machine from the internal combustion engine, such that the internal combustion engine stops without being guided by the electric machine.

A predictive traction control system may include: a road surface conditions information providing unit mounted on a vehicle driven by a driving motor, to detect and output an upstream road surface condition in a travelling direction of the vehicle; and a predictive control unit electrically connected to the road surface conditions information providing unit, determining an entry or release of the predictive traction control using information on road surface conditions input from the road surface conditions information providing unit, and calculating target driving motor speed for controlling the driving motor and transmitting the same.

A number of illustrative variations may include a system including brake-to-steer algorithms may achieve lateral control of a vehicle without longitudinal compensation but may also force a vehicle to slow down too rapidly before appropriate lateral movement can be achieved and may deliver an unnatural driving experience for vehicle occupants. A more natural feeling deceleration may be achieved by optimally selecting appropriate transmission shifts to allow for optimal engine speed or electric motor speed and torque based on current vehicle speed thereby reducing undesirably longitudinal disturbance.

A control system for controlling electrical power consumption from energy storage means by a traction motor of a vehicle caused by a wheel slip event includes: one or more electronic controllers configured to: receive a torque request for the traction motor; determine a current known prevailing speed value of the traction motor; determine a maximum allowable increase in speed of the traction motor of to occur during a latency period associated with the prevailing speed value of the current known speed of the traction motor; determine an electrical power consumption limit in dependence on the torque request, the current known prevailing speed value of the traction motor of the vehicle and the maximum allowable increase in speed of the traction motor; and control torque provision of the traction motor in dependence on the torque request and the electrical power consumption limit.

An electric drive system, method and apparatus includes a rechargeable energy storage unit, a power inverter, and a rotary electric machine. Transfer of electrical power between the rechargeable energy storage unit and the rotary electric machine is governed by a pulse width modulation (PWM) switching frequency, which is one of a non-six-step switching mode or a six-step switching mode. Executable instructions determine a rotational speed, a torque command, a torque direction, a bus voltage, and a hysteresis band, determine a modulation index command in response to the rotational speed, the torque command, the torque direction, and the bus voltage, and command operation of the rotary electric machine in one of the non-six-step switching mode or the six-step switching mode employing the modulation index command.

An apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle includes a driveshaft that transmits a drive torque generated by a drive motor to a wheel, a sensor that obtains a speed of the vehicle, and a controller that monitors the drive torque to determine a change amount of the drive torque, determines a change in a torsion angle of the driveshaft based on the change amount of the drive torque, and determines whether wheel slip occurs based on an amount of speed change of the drive motor according to the change in the torsion angle of the driveshaft. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately determine wheel slip according to the friction of a road surface, providing safe driving to the driver.

A vehicle drive device includes a first drive unit that drives first wheels; a second drive unit that drives second wheels; and a control device. When the state of charge of an electrical storage device is less than a first threshold value and a vehicle speed is less than a second threshold value, the control device performs control such that when the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to zero and required drive power is greater than or equal to zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to a second mode to output the required drive power from the second drive unit, and when the vehicle speed is greater than zero and the required drive power is less than zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to a first mode so the first drive power source can generate electric power.

Methods and systems are provided for engaging and disengaging an electromagnetic clutch of a two-speed accessory drive of an engine of a vehicle. In one example, a method comprises, responsive to an electrical demand being higher than a threshold electrical demand, operating an electric machine of the vehicle in a motor mode to reduce a speed of a grounding gear of a planetary gear set of a two-speed accessory drive (TSAD) of the vehicle; and engaging an electromagnetic clutch responsive to the speed of the grounding gear reaching a clutch engagement threshold speed.