Vehicle drive device

A vehicle drive device for driving front wheels and rear wheels of a vehicle, the vehicle drive device comprising:

• with either one of the front wheels and the rear wheels being first wheels and an other one being second wheels,
• a first drive unit that includes an input member and a first drive power source and drives the first wheels, the input member being drive-coupled to an internal combustion engine included in the vehicle;
• a second drive unit that includes a second drive power source and drives the second wheels;
• and
• a control device that controls the first drive unit, the second drive unit, and the internal combustion engine,
• wherein
• the first drive power source is a rotating electrical machine that gives and receives electric power to/from an electrical storage device,
• the first drive unit has a first mode and a second mode as operating modes,
• the first mode provides a state in which power transmission between the internal combustion engine and the first wheels is cut off, and a state in which power transmission between the first drive power source and the first wheels is performed,
• the second mode provides a state in which power transmission between the internal combustion engine and the first drive power source is performed, and a state in which power transmission between both of the internal combustion engine and the first drive power source and the first wheels is cut off and the first drive power source generates electric power by drive power transmitted from the internal combustion engine, and
• when a state of charge of the electrical storage device is less than a defined first threshold value and a speed of the vehicle is less than a defined second threshold value,
• the control device performs control such that
• when the speed of the vehicle is greater than or equal to zero and required drive power is greater than or equal to zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to the second mode to output the required drive power from the second drive unit, the required drive power being drive power required for the vehicle, and
• when the speed of the vehicle is greater than zero and the required drive power is less than zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to the first mode to allow the first drive power source to generate electric power by regeneration, and to bring the internal combustion engine into an operating state to output the required drive power from both of the first drive unit and the second drive unit.