Drive system of a plug-in hybrid vehicle and method for operating such a drive system

A method for operating a drive system of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, wherein the drive system comprises:

• an internal combustion engine,
• an electrical machine,
• an electrochemical storage device, which is configured to supply the electrical machine with electrical energy, and
• a conditioning system, which is configured to precondition the electrochemical storage device and comprises an electric heating element,
• the method comprising:
• modeling an introduction of fuel into the internal combustion engine with a fuel introduction model;
• before a cold-start of the internal combustion engine, activating a preconditioning function of the internal combustion engine and preheating a coolant of the internal combustion engine by time-controlled activation of the electric heating element, the activation of the preconditioning function before the cold-start being dependent on an output of the fuel introduction model,
• wherein the drive system comprises a central controller which is configured to control an operation of the internal combustion engine and of the electrical machine, and which is configured to activate the preconditioning function of the internal combustion engine and to control the conditioning system such that activation of the electric heating element takes place in a time-controlled manner before the cold-start of the internal combustion engine,
• wherein the central controller is configured to activate the preconditioning function of the internal combustion engine by interrogation of an activator which is coupled with the central controller of the plug-in hybrid vehicle, and
• wherein the activator comprises a calendar memory, a preset departure timer, or a learned pattern, obtained from machine learning.

A drive system of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, the drive system comprising:

• an internal combustion engine;
• an electrical machine;
• an electrochemical storage device, which is configured to supply the electrical machine with electrical energy;
• a heating element configured to preheat a coolant, the coolant being fluidly connected to both the internal combustion engine and the electrochemical storage device;
• and
• a central controller configured to:
• control an operation of the internal combustion engine and of the electrical machine,
• model introduction of fuel into the internal combustion engine with a fuel introduction model to determine whether a fuel introduction threshold has been exceeded,
• activate a preconditioning function of the internal combustion engine before a cold-start of the internal combustion engine by interrogation of an activator which is coupled with the central controller, the preconditioning function including preheating the coolant of the internal combustion engine via heating of the heating element, and
• control activation of the heating element in a time-controlled manner before the cold-start of the internal combustion engine,
• wherein the activator comprises a calendar memory, a preset departure timer, or a learned pattern, obtained from machine learning.