Method for controlling a powertrain

Abstract

A method for controlling a powertrain of a vehicle, the powertrain comprising: an engine comprising mutually independently operable valves, the engine being configured to be operated in a four-stroke operation mode, and a drivetrain comprising a transmission, the method comprising: while operating the engine in the four-stroke operation mode, identifying that a critical situation applies or is expected to apply, in which a fast downshift of the transmission is required, initiating a downshift process in response to the identification of the critical situation, during at least a part of the downshift process, increasing an engine speed by controlling at least the mutually independently operable valves of the engine such that the engine is temporarily operated in a two-stroke operation mode.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.