Methods and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle engine to adjust exhaust warm-up strategy based on a vehicle network information. In one example, in response to an expected decrease in temperature of a catalyst of a vehicle below a threshold and an estimated duration thereof based on communications external from the vehicle, a method may include delaying catalyst heating actions, when the catalyst heating actions are determined to be unable to heat up the catalyst to threshold temperatures. However, the catalyst heating actions may be enabled when the catalyst heating actions are determined to be able to achieve the threshold temperature within the duration.

A control device executes abnormality detection processing for detecting an abnormality of a current sensor. The abnormality detection processing includes first processing which is executed in a case where, during reception of electric power from a power supply, a state of charge of a power storage device is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount and electric power is supplied to an electrically heated catalyst device. The first processing includes processing for detecting an abnormality of the current sensor by estimating a current supplied to the electrically heated catalyst device using a detection value of a charging current sensor and comparing the estimated value with a detection value of the current sensor.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle engine to adjust exhaust warm-up strategy based on a vehicle network information. In one example, in response to an expected decrease in temperature of a catalyst of a vehicle below a threshold and an estimated duration thereof based on communications external from the vehicle, a method may include delaying catalyst heating actions, when the catalyst heating actions are determined to be unable to heat up the catalyst to threshold temperatures. However, the catalyst heating actions may be enabled when the catalyst heating actions are determined to be able to achieve the threshold temperature within the duration.

A method for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions of a diesel vehicle. In this context, first state variables of the diesel vehicle are measured with the aid of sensors of the diesel vehicle, and using an arithmetic unit, it is ascertained, as a function of the first state variables, if the nitrogen oxide emissions are exceeding a predetermined threshold, or using the arithmetic unit, it is predicted, as a function of the first state variables, if the nitrogen oxide emissions will exceed the predetermined threshold. If exceedance of the threshold is calculated or predicted, then an intervention in the current torque demand of the diesel vehicle and/or an intervention in the current transmission ratio or setting of a transmission of the diesel vehicle is ascertained by the arithmetic unit; the intervention contributing to a reduction in the nitrogen oxide emissions to a value below the threshold.

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.

A control device of a hybrid vehicle includes a power consumption calculating part configured to calculate power able to be consumed in the electric heating type catalyst, and a power supply control part configured to select a route for supplying the regenerative power to the electric heating type catalyst and supply the regenerative power to the electric heating type catalyst. The power supply control part is configured to supply the regenerative power to the electric heating type catalyst without going through the battery if the power able to be consumed in the electric heating type catalyst is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and supply the regenerative power to the electric heating type catalyst through the battery if the power able to be consumed in the electric heating type catalyst is less than the predetermined value.

During a hybrid drive, a hybrid vehicle sets an engine required power based on a driving required power and controls an engine to output the engine required power, while controlling a motor to drive the hybrid vehicle with the driving required power. When a catalyst temperature of an exhaust emission control device is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature that requires warming up, in the state that an output upper limit power which a power storage device is allowed to output is equal to or larger than a predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets a power calculated by subtracting the output upper limit power from the driving required power, to the engine required power. In the state that the output upper limit power is smaller than the predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets the driving required power to the engine required power.

A method of controlling a mode change in a hybrid vehicle for performing a driving-mode change related to a change in the amount of charge of a battery in consideration of catalyst warmup of an engine includes activating adaptive mode change control between a first mode and a second mode, determining whether or not catalyst heating or engine warmup is performed in advance, setting a mode change reference depending on a result of the determining, and performing the adaptive mode change control depending on the set mode change reference.

An engine system includes an engine including first and second cylinders, a catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine, and a control device for the engine. The control device includes a fuel cut control unit configured to execute a specific cylinder fuel cut process of stopping supply of fuel to the first cylinder and supplying fuel to the second cylinder when there is a request to warm up the catalyst, an injection amount control unit configured to increase a fuel injection amount in the second cylinder at a predetermined increase rate during execution of the specific cylinder fuel cut process, as compared to a case where the specific cylinder fuel cut process is stopped, and an injection timing control unit configured to advance a fuel injection timing in a compression stroke of the second cylinder during execution of the specific cylinder fuel cut process is stopped.

An internal combustion engine is mounted for power generation in a series hybrid vehicle and has an exhaust system with an upstream-side catalytic converter and a downstream-side catalytic converter. After starting of the internal combustion engine, the operation of the internal combustion engine is continued, without stopping the internal combustion engine even when the power generation request ceases, until completion of the warm-up of both of the upstream-side catalytic converter and the downstream-side catalytic converter. The internal combustion engine is operated with ignition timing retardation during a first period from the starting of the internal combustion engine to the completion of the warm-up of the upstream-side catalytic converter. During a second period from the completion of the warm-up of the upstream-side catalytic converter to the completion of the warm-up of the downstream-side catalytic converter, the internal combustion engine is operated without ignition timing retardation.