A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a vehicle including an engine, a motor generator, a manual transmission, a clutch, an accelerator pedal, a clutch pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and a control unit that performs inertia travel control to cause a vehicle to start inertia travel when a predetermined condition is satisfied during travel of the vehicle, performs free-run transition control to change to a free-run travel when a predetermined inertia travel time has elapsed since the start of the inertia travel, and sets the inertia travel time in a case where the last operation before the inertia travel is one of predetermined operation to be longer than the inertia travel time in a case where the last operation before the inertia travel is an operation in which the return speed of the accelerator pedal is greater than or equal to a predetermined return speed.

Provided is a control apparatus of a vehicle, which includes a transmission mode switching control program for controlling the automatic transmission to switch between an automatic transmission mode and a manual transmission mode, a coast idle stop control program for performing a coast idle stop control in which the engine is stopped automatically and the automatic transmission is changed into a neutral position while the vehicle is traveling, and a coast idle control program for performing a coast idle control in which the engine is made running idle and the automatic transmission is changed into the neutral position while the vehicle is traveling.

A vehicle engine activation control system includes a starter connected to a battery; an idle stop control unit configured to automatically stop an engine and automatically reactivate the engine by the starter; an input unit configured to generate an operation request in response to input from a driver; an electric parking brake device including an electric motor connected to the battery, wherein the electric motor starts driving in response to the operation request; and a mediating unit configured to prohibit the reactivation of the engine by the idle stop control unit, when the electric motor is in a driving state in response to a predetermined operation request.

A method and apparatus for evaluating the driving of a vehicle performing a journey on a road network is disclosed. The method comprises determining a fuel usage rate and an engine speed of a vehicle, and determining when the vehicle is coasting based upon at least one of the fuel usage rate and the engine speed of the vehicle. An acceleration of the vehicle, when the vehicle is determined to be coasting, is compared with a predetermined reference acceleration, and an application of braking during the coasting is determined based on the result of the comparison. A method and apparatus is also disclosed for determining a score indicative of the relative amount of time for which the vehicle is coasting without braking during a journey.

A method for operating a vehicle drivetrain (1) having a drive machine (2), an output (3) and a gearbox (4) with the gearbox (4) arranged in power flow between the drive machine (2) and the output (3) includes opening, in the presence of a demand for activation of a sailing operating function of the vehicle drivetrain (1) and a simultaneously activated engine start-stop function, a positively engaging shift element (F) while the drive machine (2) is left both decoupled from the output (3) and shut down.

A vehicle includes an engine, a continuously variable transmission, an engine stop system, and a brake system. The brake system is configured to control a braking force of the wheel based on an operation state of a brake operating portion that is operated by a driver. The brake system includes a braking force adjusting device. The braking force adjusting device includes an actuator and an electronic control unit. The actuator is configured to adjust a braking force of the wheel. The electronic control unit is configured to, when the engine stop system stops the driving of the engine, control the actuator such that slip of a belt of the belt-type continuously variable transmission relative to the pulley becomes less than or equal to a predetermined allowable limit.

A running control device has an engine coupling running mode enabling an engine brake running mode performed by coupling an engine and wheels with an engine brake applied by driven rotation of the engine, and an inertia running mode performed with an engine brake force lower than that of the engine brake running mode. The running control device includes a steering wheel steering angle as a condition of terminating the inertia running mode. The running control device performs a first inertia running mode with the rotation of the engine stopped and a second inertia running mode with the engine rotating. The first inertia running mode is terminated when the steering angle becomes equal to or greater than a predefined first determination value. The second inertia running mode is terminated when the steering angle becomes equal to or greater than a predefined second determination value larger than the first determination value.

A vehicle coasting control system for a vehicle having a prime mover includes an accelerator pedal positional throughout an accelerator pedal position range; a vehicle controller interfacing with the accelerator pedal, the vehicle controller adapted to control operating speeds of the prime mover of the vehicle corresponding to positions, respectively, of the accelerator pedal within the accelerator pedal position range; and the vehicle controller is adapted to operate the prime mover at idle when the accelerator pedal is positioned at a coast zone within the accelerator pedal position range. A vehicle coasting control method is also disclosed.

Systems and methods of selective driver coaching are provided. Driver coaching systems learn the characteristics of a deceleration event. With the goal of increasing recouped energy while operating a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), driver coaching systems predict when the HEV can begin coasting at the start of the deceleration event. In this way, the amount of time during which regenerative braking can be applied may be increased. Coaching cues are provided to the driver so that the HEV can be operated in way that achieves the goal of increasing recouped energy. However, engaging in excessive regenerative breaking can negate its advantages if the amount needed to reaccelerate the HEV to a cruising/steady speed is too great. Selective driver coaching provides coaching cues only if the operating efficiency of the HEV exceeds the operating efficiency of the HEV when controlled by the driver without coaching cues.

A travelling control apparatus includes a preceding vehicle information acquiring unit acquiring a preceding vehicle travelling speed pattern indicating a travelling speed change of a preceding vehicle; an energy efficiency index calculation unit calculating an energy efficiency index indicating a degree of improvement in an energy efficiency of the vehicle, in the case where the vehicle travels based on an own vehicle travelling speed pattern indicating a travelling speed change of the vehicle when the vehicle travels tracking the preceding vehicle; a compatibility index calculation unit calculating a compatibility index indicating a degree of compatibility between the vehicle and a following vehicle based on a travelling speed of the vehicle and the following vehicle; and a control unit performing a coasting travel determination determining whether to perform a coasting travel of the vehicle based on a degree of the energy efficiency index and the compatibility index.