Vehicle control device

A vehicle control device mounted on a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor and a power storage device that transmits power to and from the motor and configured to control the engine and the motor such as to drive the hybrid vehicle with changing over between motor drive without operation of the engine and hybrid drive with operation of the engine and to start the engine and shift the drive of the hybrid vehicle to the hybrid drive when a parameter involved in driving output becomes equal to or larger than a start reference value of the engine during the motor drive, wherein

• in the motor drive in a self-driving mode where the hybrid vehicle is driven independently of a driver's accelerating or decelerating operation,
• the vehicle control device restricts the parameter in a range of smaller than the start reference value when an other vehicle condition is not met, where the other vehicle condition is a condition that any other vehicle is present in a predetermined distance at least either ahead of its own vehicle or behind the own vehicle, while not restricting the parameter in the range of smaller than the start reference value when the other vehicle condition is met.

A vehicle control device mounted on a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor and a power storage device that transmits power to and from the motor and configured to control the engine and the motor such as to drive the hybrid vehicle with changing over between motor drive without operation of the engine and hybrid drive with operation of the engine, wherein

• in a process of starting the engine in a self-driving mode where driving output is controlled independently of a driver's accelerating or decelerating operation,
• the vehicle control device performs first start control to start the engine with giving preference to a response over reduction of starting shock when an other vehicle condition is met, where the other vehicle condition is a condition that any other vehicle is present in a predetermined distance at least either ahead of its own vehicle or behind the own vehicle, and
• the vehicle control device performs second start control to start the engine with giving preference to the reduction of starting shock over the response when the other vehicle condition is not met.