JP7809972B2 - Vehicle control method and vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a hybrid vehicle that uses either an engine or a motor, or both, as a braking/driving force source, and transfers power between the motor and a battery. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the efficiency index is reduced and the battery's state of charge is kept high in anticipation of the amount of energy consumed when traveling uphill, based on uphill information about the vehicle's travel route.

Patent No. 3624839

The hybrid vehicle described in Patent Document 1 can maintain the motor's driving force for a long period of time when going uphill by keeping the battery at a high state of charge.

However, if the vehicle is expected to be driven on continuous uphill roads, for example, it is necessary to keep the battery charge rate as high as possible.

The present invention was developed in consideration of these technical challenges, and aims to keep the battery charge rate as high as possible when, for example, driving on continuous uphill slopes is anticipated.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle includes an engine, a first motor driven by the engine to generate electricity, a battery charged by the first motor, and a second motor that drives drive wheels with power supplied from the battery or power generated by the first motor. A vehicle control method for controlling the vehicle includes, when it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle will continue to travel at a power consumption that exceeds the amount of power that the first motor can generate, controlling the battery's charging rate so that, at the time the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section, the battery's charging rate is 100% minus a fluctuation in the charging rate while the vehicle was traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, and correcting target values for the amount of power generated and the amount of power regenerated when the vehicle reaches a midpoint between the point where charging control was started and the entrance to the severe driving section .

In another aspect of the vehicle control method of the present invention, when it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section in which the first motor will continue to consume more power than it can generate, the amount of regenerated power that will be regenerated while traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section is predicted, and the battery charging rate is controlled so that the battery charging rate becomes 100% when the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section, adding the increase in charging rate due to the predicted amount of regenerated power , and when the vehicle reaches a point halfway between the point where charging control began and the entrance to the severe driving section, the target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power are corrected .

According to these aspects, when the vehicle is predicted to travel through a severe driving section where the first motor continues to consume more power than it can generate, the battery's charge rate can be kept as high as possible.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of charge control according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining a severe driving section. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of control related to correction of a target value in charge control according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing a control flow relating to correction of a target value in charge control according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A vehicle V according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the drive system of the vehicle V according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle V includes engine 1, which is an internal combustion engine; first motor generator 2 (hereinafter referred to as MG2) as a first motor; battery 3; second motor generator 4 (hereinafter referred to as MG4) as a second motor serving as a driving source for traveling; controller 10 as a control device that controls the operation of these components; gear mechanism 6 as a power transmission mechanism that transmits power between engine 1 and MG2; and gear mechanism 7 as a power transmission mechanism that transmits power between MG4 and drive wheels 5. Vehicle V in this embodiment is a series-type hybrid vehicle in which engine 1 is used only for generating electricity and MG4 is used to drive drive wheels 5 and for regenerating electricity.

MG2 is a three-phase AC permanent magnet synchronous motor mounted as both a generator and an electric motor. Specifically, when MG2 receives rotational power from engine 1, it functions as a generator. Furthermore, when MG2 receives power from battery 3, it can function as a starter motor for engine 1 and as a motoring motor that rotates and drives engine 1.

Battery 3 is composed of a secondary battery with improved charging speed and suppressed electrodeposition, such as an all-solid-state or semi-solid-state battery using a solid electrolyte, or a lithium-ion battery using an electrolyte with an improved negative electrode material using graphene as a conductive additive. Conventional batteries using an electrolyte (organic solvent), such as lithium-ion batteries, have a maximum charging capacity of approximately 90% for safety reasons, with a certain safety margin (e.g., approximately 10%) relative to the maximum charging capacity (assumed to be 100%) when the battery voltage reaches the upper limit for safe repeated charging and discharging. In contrast, the secondary battery with improved charging speed described above can achieve a maximum charging capacity (100%) that is approximately equal to the maximum charging capacity (assumed to be 100%) when the battery voltage reaches the upper limit for safe repeated charging and discharging. Therefore, using a secondary battery with improved charging speed as battery 3 allows for maximum utilization of battery capacity. Battery 3 is charged with power generated by MG2 and power regenerated by MG4, and supplies the charged power to MG4 or MG2.

The SOC (charging rate R) of battery 3 is detected by SOC sensor 3a and transmitted to controller 10. Controller 10 controls the charging of battery 3 based on the SOC (charging rate R), the temperature of battery 3, and other factors. When the SOC of battery 3 drops to the lower limit of charging control, controller 10 drives engine 1. This drives MG2, and power generated by MG2 is supplied to battery 3, charging it. Furthermore, when the SOC of battery 3 rises to the upper limit of charging control, controller 10 stops engine 1. This stops MG2, and power generation by MG2 ceases.

MG4 is a three-phase AC permanent magnet synchronous motor powered by battery 3. MG4 may also be a wound field motor. MG4 is driven by power supplied from battery 3 via an inverter (not shown). The rotational power of MG4 is transmitted to drive wheels 5 via gear mechanism 7, causing vehicle V to travel. MG4 also has a regenerative function that generates power to charge battery 3 when it receives rotational power from drive wheels 5 during deceleration or braking of vehicle V.

However, when vehicle V travels for a long period of time, for example, on an uphill road or a highway, if the vehicle V continues to travel at a power consumption rate that exceeds the power that MG2 can generate, the SOC (charging rate R) of battery 3 will continue to decrease (hereinafter, a section where vehicle V continues to travel at a power consumption rate that exceeds the power that MG2 can generate will be referred to as a "severe driving section," and driving sections other than the severe driving section will be referred to as a "normal driving section"). For this reason, if the SOC (charging rate R) of battery 3 is low when vehicle V begins traveling in a severe driving section, there is a risk that the vehicle will run out of power midway through the journey, causing problems with driving.

In this embodiment, therefore, charging control of battery 3 is performed in the normal driving section so that the SOC (state of charge) of battery 3 is maximized when vehicle V begins traveling in the severe driving section. This charging control will be explained in detail below with reference to flowcharts such as Figure 2. Note that the control related to the flowcharts shown in Figure 2 and other figures is performed based on a program pre-stored in controller 10. Note that in this embodiment, "100%" refers to the charge capacity when the battery voltage of battery 3 has reached the upper limit at which charging and discharging can be safely repeated.

In step S1, the driving route of vehicle V is predicted. Specifically, controller 10 acquires route information to the destination from a navigation system (not shown) installed in vehicle V.

In step S2, the state of charge of battery 3 is detected. Specifically, controller 10 estimates the SOC of battery 3 from the state detection signal of battery 3 detected by SOC sensor 3a.

In step S3, the acceleration and deceleration of vehicle V along the travel route are predicted, and the amount of power that will be regenerated (regenerative power amount) while traveling along the travel route is predicted. Specifically, the acceleration and deceleration of vehicle V are predicted, and the amount of power that will be regenerated (regenerative power amount) is predicted based on route information obtained from a navigation system (not shown) and learning results of travel data from vehicle V's past travels.

In step S4, it is determined whether vehicle V is scheduled to travel through a severe driving section. Specifically, based on route information obtained from a navigation system (not shown), controller 10 determines whether the distance D from vehicle V's current position to the severe driving section is less than or equal to a predetermined value D1. The predetermined value D1 is set to a distance that will allow battery 3's charging rate R to reach 100% when vehicle V reaches the entrance to the severe driving section.

Here, we will explain an example of how to set severe driving sections with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 3 shows the change in power consumption W by MG4 when, for example, an uphill road is present along the travel route. The power consumption W1 shown in Figure 3 is the same value as the power generated by engine 1 (MG2) at maximum power generation, i.e., the value at which the balance with the power generated at maximum power generation is zero. When the power consumption by MG4 is equal to or greater than W1, even if engine 1 (MG2) generates power at maximum power, the power generated by engine 1 (MG2) alone will be insufficient to drive MG4. In this state, power from battery 3 is used, and the charging rate R of battery 3 decreases. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the state in which the power consumption by MG4 is equal to or greater than W1—in other words, the state in which vehicle V is traveling at an amount of electricity that exceeds the amount of power that MG2 can generate—is predicted to continue for a predetermined period of time, the travel section (between points C1 and C4) is determined to be a severe travel section. As shown in FIG. 3, even if the power consumption by MG4 temporarily falls below W1 (for a predetermined period of time) (between points C2 and C3), if it is predicted that power consumption by MG4 will continue to be equal to or greater than W1 for a certain period of time, these driving sections are also determined to be severe driving sections. Note that the power consumption here may be the power consumption of MG4 alone, or the total amount of power consumption of the devices required to drive vehicle V. Furthermore, controller 10 may predict severe driving sections and determine whether the vehicle is traveling through a severe driving section by learning driving patterns rather than relying on navigation information.

If it is determined in step S4 that the distance D from the current position of vehicle V to the severe driving section thus set is equal to or less than the predetermined value D1, the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if it is determined that the distance D is greater than the predetermined value D1, the process proceeds to step S7, where normal control is performed.

In step S5, the target charging rate R of battery 3 at the time when vehicle V starts traveling through the severe driving section (point C1 in Figure 3) is set to R1. Charging rate R1 is set to a value obtained by subtracting a fluctuation F of the predetermined charging rate R from 100%. Even while vehicle V is traveling through the normal driving section, the charging rate R of battery 3 varies depending on the driving conditions of vehicle V due to the power consumed and regenerated power. Therefore, the charging rate R at the time when traveling through the severe driving section begins may differ from the expected value. However, while vehicle V is traveling through the normal driving section, the fluctuation range of charging rate R (fluctuation F) falls within a roughly constant range. Therefore, in this embodiment, the target charging rate R1 is set to a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined fluctuation F (fixed value) from 100%. This prevents problems such as overcharging even if there is a discrepancy between the expected values of power consumption and regenerative power while vehicle V is traveling through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section and the actual values of power consumption and regenerative power. The fluctuation amount F is set by learning driving patterns, etc., or based on the results of experiments conducted in advance.

In step S6, charging control is performed so that the charging rate R of battery 3 becomes charging rate R1 when vehicle V starts traveling through the severe driving section. Specifically, controller 10 drives engine 1 to generate electricity using MG2 and controls the regenerative power of MG4 so that the charging rate R of battery 3 becomes charging rate R1 when vehicle V starts traveling through the severe driving section.

In this way, by performing the charging control of this embodiment, the charging rate R of the battery 3 can be kept as high as possible when the vehicle V starts traveling through the severe driving section. This makes it possible to prevent the battery 3 from becoming insufficiently charged while traveling through the severe driving section.

As described above, in this embodiment, the target value of the charging rate R (charging rate R1) is set to 100% minus a preset fluctuation F. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, the battery 3 from being overcharged (charging rate R exceeding 100%) due to regenerated power or the like when the vehicle V begins traveling through a severe driving section. In other words, in this embodiment, by setting the charging rate R1 to this value, the charging rate R can be brought close to 100% without the battery 3 being overcharged.

Note that while charging control is being performed in this manner, if the actual power consumption or power regeneration amount differs significantly from the expected power consumption or power regeneration amount, i.e., the fluctuation F, depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle V, it may be possible to correct the target power consumption or power regeneration amount. First, with reference to Figure 4, the impact of not performing correction will be explained.

Figure 4 shows a case where the charging rate R is calculated and corrected at midpoint M between the point where vehicle V starts charging control (point S) and the entrance to the severe driving section (point I). The thin solid line in Figure 4 represents a straight line connecting the charging rate R at point S where charging control starts and the charging rate (charging rate R1) at the entrance to the severe driving section (point I). While this line is shown as a straight line for ease of understanding, in reality, it is a curved line because the amount of power consumed and the amount of regenerated power during driving vary greatly depending on the situation. The thick solid line in Figure 4 represents the change in the actual charging rate R. The thin dotted line in Figure 4 represents the change in the charging rate R when charging control (power generation control by MG2 and regeneration control by MG4) is continued from the time charging control starts (i.e., when no correction is performed). The thick dotted line in Figure 4 represents the change in the charging rate R when correction is performed at midpoint M.

As shown in Figure 4, if the sum of the actual amount of generated and regenerated power from when vehicle V starts charging control until it reaches midpoint M is greater than the preset sum of the amount of generated and regenerated power, continuing charging control as is could result in battery 3 being overcharged at the entrance to the severe driving section (point I).

Conversely, if the sum of the actual amount of generated and regenerated power is less than the preset sum of the amount of generated and regenerated power (not shown), continuing the charging control as is may result in an insufficient charge in Battery 3, which could affect driving in severe driving sections.

For this reason, in this embodiment, the target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power are corrected during charging control. Below, an example of control related to the correction of the target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power is described with reference to Figure 5.

In step S61, it is determined whether the vehicle V has reached the target value correction point. Specifically, the controller 10 determines, based on the current location information from the navigation system, whether the vehicle V has reached the midpoint M between the charge control start point S and the entrance to the severe driving section (point I). If the vehicle V has reached the target value correction point (midpoint M), the process proceeds to step S62; if the vehicle V has not reached the target value correction point (midpoint M), the determination in step S61 is repeated.

In step S62, the controller 10 calculates the difference between the assumed charging rate Rt and the actual charging rate Rr. Specifically, the assumed charging rate Rt is the charging rate at midpoint M assumed by the controller 10 at the start of charging control (start point S). At the start point S of charging control, the controller 10 calculates the charging rate Rt, which is the target value of the charging rate R at midpoint M, based on the charging rate R1, which is the final target value, the amount of power regenerated by the vehicle V's travel until it reaches the entrance to the severe driving section (point I), and the amount of power generated by MG2. The controller 10 also calculates the actual charging rate Rr based on data on the remaining capacity of the battery 3 detected by the SOC sensor 3a. The controller 10 calculates the difference between the charging rate Rt calculated in this way and the charging rate Rr.

In step S63, the target values for the amount of power generated and the amount of power regenerated are corrected. Specifically, based on the difference between the charging rate Rt and the charging rate Rr calculated in step S62 and the final target value of charging rate R1, controller 10 corrects the target value for the amount of power generated by MG2 and the target value for the amount of power regenerated by MG4 so that charging rate R1 is achieved at the entrance to the severe driving section (point I). By performing such corrections, the charging rate at the entrance to the severe driving section (point I) can be set to charging rate R1 even if the actual power consumption and amount of power regeneration differ significantly from the expected power consumption and amount of power regeneration, i.e., the fluctuation amount F.

In the above embodiment, correction was made based on the difference between the assumed charging rate Rt and the actual charging rate Rr, but this is not limited to this. For example, the actual amount of power generated by MG2 and the actual amount of power regenerated by MG4 may be calculated, and the above correction may be made based on the difference between these and the assumed amount of power generated by MG2 and the assumed amount of power regenerated by MG4.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the target value correction point was set to midpoint M, but this is not limited to this and any point may be used. Furthermore, the target value correction point may be set to multiple points, and correction may be performed multiple times.

The vehicle V of this embodiment provides the following advantages:

In this embodiment, the battery 3 is a secondary battery that is an all-solid-state battery, a semi-solid-state battery, or a lithium-ion battery using an electrolyte, with an improved charging rate for the negative electrode material. For safety reasons, batteries using conventional electrolytes (organic solvents), such as lithium-ion batteries, have a maximum charging capacity (approximately 90%) that is a certain safety margin (e.g., approximately 10%) relative to the charging capacity (assumed to be 100%) when the battery voltage reaches the upper limit for safe repeated charging and discharging. In contrast, a secondary battery using an all-solid-state battery, a semi-solid-state battery, or a lithium-ion battery using an electrolyte, with an improved charging rate for the negative electrode material, can achieve a maximum charging capacity (100%) that is approximately the same as the charging capacity when the battery voltage reaches the upper limit for safe repeated charging and discharging. This allows the charging rate R of the battery 3 to approach 100% at the start of driving through a severe driving section, compared to a battery using a conventional electrolyte (organic solvent). Therefore, when the vehicle V drives through a severe driving section, the battery 3 can run with a margin of power compared to a battery using a conventional electrolyte (organic solvent).

In the above embodiment, the case where the charging rate R1 is set to a value obtained by subtracting the predicted fluctuation F of the charging rate R while traveling through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section from 100% has been described. However, this is not limiting. For example, the amount of regenerated power that will be regenerated while the vehicle V travels through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section may be predicted, and the charging rate R of the battery 3 may be controlled so that the charging rate R of the battery 3 is 100% by adding the increase in the charging rate due to the predicted amount of regenerated power. By setting the target value (charging rate R1) to such a value, it is possible to charge the battery 3 to a value closer to 100% compared to when the charging rate R at the time of starting travel through the severe driving section is set to a value obtained by subtracting the fluctuation F1.

Furthermore, the amount of power consumed while traveling through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section may be predicted, and when the vehicle V begins traveling through the severe driving section, the battery 3 charging rate R may be controlled to 100% by adding the increase in charging rate due to the predicted amount of regenerated power and subtracting the decrease in charging rate R due to the amount of power consumed. In this case, the battery 3 can be charged more accurately and to a value closer to 100% charging rate than when only the increase in the amount of regenerated power is taken into consideration.

The configuration, operation, and effects of the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will now be explained.

Vehicle V has engine 1, MG2 (first motor) driven by engine 1 to generate electricity, battery 3 charged by MG2 (first motor) and consisting of a secondary battery that is an all-solid-state battery, semi-solid-state battery, or lithium-ion battery using an electrolyte with an improved charging rate for the negative electrode material, MG4 (second motor) that drives drive wheels 5 using power supplied from battery 3 or power generated by MG2 (first motor), and controller 10 (control device) that controls these components.

When it is predicted that vehicle V will travel through a severe driving section where MG2 (first motor) will continue to consume more power than it can generate, controller 10 (control device) controls battery 3's charging rate R so that, at the time vehicle V starts traveling through the severe driving section, battery 3's charging rate R is R1, which is obtained by subtracting F1, the amount of fluctuation in charging rate R while traveling through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, from 100%.

When it is predicted that vehicle V will travel through a severe driving section where MG2 (first motor) will continue to consume more power than it can generate, controller 10 (control device) predicts the amount of regenerated power that will be regenerated while traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, and controls battery 3's charging rate R so that, at the time vehicle V begins traveling through the severe driving section, battery 3's charging rate R is 100% by adding the increase in charging rate R due to the predicted amount of regenerated power.

With these configurations, when it is predicted that the vehicle V will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle V will continue to travel at a power consumption rate that exceeds the amount of power that MG2 (first motor) can generate, the charging rate R of battery 3 can be kept as close to 100% as possible. This allows the vehicle V to travel through a severe driving section with a margin of power in battery 3 compared to when a battery using a conventional electrolyte (organic solvent) is used.

When it is predicted that the vehicle V will travel through a severe driving section, the controller 10 (control device) predicts the amount of power consumption that will be consumed while traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, and controls the battery 3 charging rate R so that it becomes 100% by further subtracting the reduction in charging rate due to the predicted amount of power consumption when the vehicle V begins traveling through the severe driving section.

With this configuration, while traveling through the normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, the charging rate R1 is calculated from 100% taking into account fluctuations in the charging rate based on the amount of power consumption and regenerated power predicted, so the charging rate R of battery 3 can be brought closer to 100% with greater accuracy when traveling through the severe driving section begins.

When it is predicted that the vehicle V will travel through a severe driving section, the controller 10 (control device) limits the driving force of the MG4 (second motor) to a predetermined value or less, at least while the vehicle V is traveling through a normal driving section.

With this configuration, power consumption before vehicle V travels through the severe driving section can be reduced, so the charging rate R at the time vehicle V reaches the severe driving section can be more reliably brought closer to the target value (charging rate R). Furthermore, by limiting the driving force, braking force can be prevented from increasing, which can prevent the amount of regenerative power from increasing.

The controller 10 (control device) predicts severe driving sections and determines whether the vehicle is traveling through a severe driving section by learning navigation information or driving patterns.

When predicting severe driving sections based on navigation information, for example, even when driving through that section for the first time, the charging rate R of battery 3 can be increased before reaching the severe driving section. Furthermore, when predicting severe driving sections based on learning driving patterns, severe driving sections can be predicted with greater accuracy.

The above describes embodiments of the present invention, but these embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

In the above embodiment, charging control is initiated by determining whether the distance D from the current position of vehicle V to the severe driving section has reached a predetermined value D1, but this is not limited to this. For example, charging control may be initiated based on the arrival time of vehicle V from its current position to the severe driving section. Furthermore, the severe driving section may be determined when vehicle V departs.

In addition, in the above embodiment, severe driving sections were predicted based on the power consumption of MG4, but this is not limiting, and severe driving sections may be set in advance in the map information.

Furthermore, while the above embodiment has been described using a series hybrid as an example of a hybrid system, the charging control of this embodiment can also be applied to a one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid.

V: vehicle, 1: engine, 2: first motor generator (first motor), 3: battery, 3a: SOC sensor, 4: second motor generator (second motor), 10: controller (control device)

Claims (7)

The engine and
a first motor driven by the engine to generate electricity;
a battery charged by the first motor;
a second motor that drives drive wheels using electric power supplied from the battery or electric power generated by the first motor,
When it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle will continue to travel at an amount of power consumption that exceeds the amount of power that the first motor can generate, the charging rate of the battery is controlled so that, at the time when the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section, the charging rate of the battery is 100% minus a variation in the charging rate while the vehicle was traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section ;
A vehicle control method that corrects target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power when the vehicle reaches a midpoint between the point where charge control is started and the entrance to the severe driving section . The engine and
a first motor driven by the engine to generate electricity;
a battery charged by the first motor;
a second motor that drives drive wheels using electric power supplied from the battery or electric power generated by the first motor,
When it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle will continue to travel at a power consumption amount exceeding the amount of power that the first motor can generate, the amount of regenerated power that will be regenerated while the vehicle is traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section is predicted, and the charging rate of the battery is controlled so that the charging rate of the battery becomes 100% by adding an increase in the charging rate due to the predicted amount of regenerated power at the time when the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section,
A vehicle control method that corrects target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power when the vehicle reaches a midpoint between the point where charge control is started and the entrance to the severe driving section . 3. A vehicle control method according to claim 2,
A vehicle control method that, when it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through the severe driving section, predicts the amount of power consumption that will be consumed while traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section, and controls the battery's charging rate to be 100% at the time the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section, subtracting the decrease in charging rate due to the predicted amount of power consumption. 4. A vehicle control method according to claim 1, further comprising:
A vehicle control method for limiting the driving force of the second motor to a predetermined value or less at least while the vehicle is traveling through the normal driving section when it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through the severe driving section. 5. A vehicle control method according to claim 1, comprising:
A vehicle control method for predicting the severe driving section and determining whether the vehicle is traveling through the severe driving section by learning navigation information or driving patterns. The engine and
a first motor driven by the engine to generate electricity;
a battery charged by the first motor;
a second motor that drives drive wheels using electric power supplied from the battery or electric power generated by the first motor,
When it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle will continue to travel at an amount of power consumption that exceeds the amount of power that the first motor can generate, the charging rate of the battery is controlled so that, at the time when the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section, the charging rate of the battery is 100% minus a variation in the charging rate while the vehicle was traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section ;
A vehicle control device that corrects target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power when the vehicle reaches a midpoint between the point where charge control is started and the entrance to the severe driving section . The engine and
a first motor driven by the engine to generate electricity;
a battery charged by the first motor;
a second motor that drives drive wheels using electric power supplied from the battery or electric power generated by the first motor,
When it is predicted that the vehicle will travel through a severe driving section where the vehicle will continue to travel at a power consumption amount exceeding the amount of power that the first motor can generate, the amount of regenerated power that will be regenerated while the vehicle is traveling through a normal driving section before reaching the severe driving section is predicted, and the charging rate of the battery is controlled so that the charging rate of the battery becomes 100% by adding an increase in the charging rate due to the predicted amount of regenerated power at the time when the vehicle starts traveling through the severe driving section,
A vehicle control device that corrects target values for the amount of generated power and the amount of regenerated power when the vehicle reaches a midpoint between the point where charge control is started and the entrance to the severe driving section .