Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorMichael Jon Andri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for operating a vehicle may include operating a motor and an engine to propel the vehicle, and increasing consumption of fuel as a residence time of the fuel stored on-board the vehicle increases. The residence time of the fuel stored on-board the vehicle can provide an indication of fuel degradation, enabling the duty cycle of the engine to be selectively increased to enforce fuel use conditions, particularly in the context of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle where fuel use may be less frequent.
Claims15
A method of operating a vehicle including a motor and an engine, comprising:
- operating the motor;
- and the engine to consume electrical energy and fuel, respectively, to propel the vehicle;
- and
- increasing consumption of fuel by the engine relative to consumption of electrical energy by the motor based on an increased residence time of fuel stored on-board the vehicle by reducing a vehicle operator request threshold where the engine is activated to consume fuel.
A method of operating a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle including an energy storage device, a motor, and an engine, the method comprising:
- periodically recharging the energy storage device by receiving electrical energy at the energy storage device from a power source external the vehicle via an electrical energy transmission cable;
- identifying degradation of a parameter of fuel stored on-board the vehicle;
- and
- increasing consumption of the fuel by the engine relative to consumption of the electrical energy by the motor as degradation of the parameter of fuel increases by reducing a vehicle operator request threshold where the engine is activated to consume fuel even when a state of charge of the energy storage device is greater than a state of charge threshold below which the engine is activated.
A method of operating a vehicle including a motor and an engine, comprising:
- operating the motor to consume electrical energy to propel the vehicle;
- activating the engine based on a vehicle operator request surpassing a threshold, the threshold decreased based on a residence time of fuel stored on-board the vehicle surpassing a first level;
- and
- deactivating the motor based the residence time surpassing a second level, higher than the first level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.