Electric vehicles

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle which can reduce fuel consumption of an internal combustion engine in a cold state.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 1 includes: an internal combustion engine 2 mounted on the electric vehicle 1; a motor which drives a driving shaft of the electric vehicle 1; a driving battery 10 which supplies electric power to the motor; and a control device 20 which uses electric power from the driving battery 10 to increase an area where the driving shaft is driven, compared to when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in the cold state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The electric vehicle of Patent Document 1 has an internal combustion engine, a generator, a drive battery, and a motor. The electric vehicle of Patent Document 1 uses the internal combustion engine as a power source for generating electricity or driving a drive shaft. In the electric vehicle of Patent Document 1, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, the vehicle is prohibited from traveling using the motor and the internal combustion engine is started and warmed up so that the internal combustion engine can be started at any time. This allows the internal combustion engine to be in a warmed-up state even while traveling using the motor, making it possible to start the engine at any time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-36601 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the internal combustion engine is started in a cold state, the friction of the internal combustion engine is large, which may result in a decrease in fuel efficiency.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric vehicle that can reduce fuel consumption of an internal combustion engine in a cold state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an internal combustion engine mounted on the electric vehicle, a motor that drives a drive shaft of the electric vehicle, and a drive battery that supplies power to the motor. a sensor for detecting the temperature of oil lubricating the internal combustion engine, and determining whether the internal combustion engine is in a cold state based on the oil temperature;When the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, the range in which the motor drives the drive shaft using power from the drive battery is made wider than when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state. Execute the first EV driving range expansion control A control device.

[0007] In this electric vehicle, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, the motor drives the drive shaft. This makes it possible to avoid use of the internal combustion engine as much as possible in a cold state where friction in the internal combustion engine is large. As a result, it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by the internal combustion engine in a cold state. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an electric vehicle that can reduce fuel consumption of an internal combustion engine in a cold state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a system diagram of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a system diagram of an internal combustion engine mounted on an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 4 is a timing chart showing an example of each driving region of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a control device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1, the electric vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is a four-wheel drive hybrid vehicle. The electric vehicle 1 has an internal combustion engine (ENG) 2, a generator (GEN: an example of a first rotating electric machine) 4, a front motor (FrM: an example of a second rotating electric machine) 6, a rear motor (RM) 8, a driving battery (BT) 10, a control device (HVECU) 20, an accelerator pedal 21, and an external power supply device 22.

[0012] In the electric vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the front motor 6 drives the front wheel drive shaft 12a of the front wheels 12 via a transaxle 16. The rear motor 8 drives the rear wheel drive shaft 14a of the rear wheels 14 via a reduction gear 8c. The front motor 6 is connected to the drive battery 10 via a front inverter 18, and is supplied with electric power (second electric power) from the drive battery 10.

[0013] The front inverter 18 has a front motor control device (FrMCU) 6a and a generator control device (GCU) 4a that controls the generator 4. The front motor control device 6a receives signals from the control device 20 and controls the regeneration and power running of the front motor 6 so that the front motor 6 is in a desired operating state. The rear motor 8 is similarly connected to the drive battery 10 via the rear inverter 8b and is supplied with power (second power) from the drive battery 10. The rear inverter 8b has a rear motor control device (RMCU) 8a. The rear motor control device 8a receives signals from the control device 20 and controls the regeneration and power running of the rear motor 8 so that the rear motor 8 is in a desired operating state.

[0014] The internal combustion engine 2 drives the generator 4 via the transaxle 16. The internal combustion engine 2 is driven by the combustion of fuel supplied from a fuel tank (Fuel TANK) 23. In this embodiment, the fuel tank 23 is a sealed tank type fuel tank 23 having a sealing valve for sealing the fuel tank and a canister for adsorbing evaporated gas from the fuel tank 23. In order to refuel, such a sealed tank type fuel tank 23 performs refueling control to lower the pressure of the fuel tank 23 by opening the sealing valve and adsorbing the fuel into the canister. Various devices and various sensors of the internal combustion engine 2 are electrically connected to an engine control device (ENG-ECU) 2a. The engine control device 2a acquires a signal from the control device 20 and controls the internal combustion engine 2 to be in a desired operating state. The transaxle 16 amplifies the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine 2 and transmits it to the generator 4. In addition, the transaxle 16 of this embodiment has a clutch 16a. The clutch 16a transmits and cuts off power between the internal combustion engine 2 and the front motor 6 and between the internal combustion engine 2 and the front drive shaft 12a. The internal combustion engine 2 is connected to the front drive shaft 12a via the clutch 16a of the transaxle 16 and drives the front drive shaft 12a.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the internal combustion engine 2 has at least a fuel injection valve 2c, an exhaust pipe 2d, an exhaust purification device 2e, a heater device 2K, and an oil temperature sensor 2l. In this embodiment, the internal combustion engine 2 is a rear exhaust type in which the exhaust pipe 2d extends from the internal combustion engine 2 toward the rear of the electric vehicle 1. The internal combustion engine 2 is connected to the exhaust purification device 2e via the exhaust pipe 2d. In this embodiment, the internal combustion engine 2 is a multi-injection gasoline engine. The internal combustion engine 2 injects fuel using a fuel injection valve 2c arranged in an intake port 2f, and adjusts the amount of intake air using a throttle valve 2b to adjust the output. However, the internal combustion engine 2 may be a direct injection gasoline engine or diesel engine that directly injects fuel into the cylinder 2g. Furthermore, the internal combustion engine 2 may be a gasoline engine that uses both the multi-injection system and the direct injection system. The internal combustion engine 2 may also include other devices such as an exhaust recirculation device including an exhaust recirculation valve 2i and an exhaust recirculation passage 2j. Furthermore, the internal combustion engine 2 may include a water temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the cooling water of the internal combustion engine 2 .

[0016] The heater device 2K is a device that heats the interior of the electric vehicle 1 of the internal combustion engine 2. The heater device 2K shown in FIG. 2 is a heater pipe that is disposed below the exhaust pipe 2d and receives exhaust heat. The heater device 2K of this embodiment is a device that utilizes the exhaust heat of the internal combustion engine 2. In this heater device 2K, coolant passes through the inside of the heater pipe, and the coolant serves as a refrigerant to heat a heater core (not shown). Air that has passed through the heater core is supplied to the interior of the electric vehicle 1 to heat the interior. For this reason, when operating the heater device 2K, the control device 20 starts the internal combustion engine 2. The heater device 2K may be, for example, a heat pump type device that uses the power of the drive battery 10, or an electric heater device that uses the power of the drive battery 10 to heat a heating wire. Even in the case of such a heater device 2K, if the charging rate of the drive battery 10 decreases, the control device 20 starts the internal combustion engine 2.

[0017] The oil temperature sensor 2l is a sensor that detects the temperature of oil that lubricates the internal combustion engine 2. In this embodiment, the oil temperature sensor 2l is disposed in the oil pan of the internal combustion engine 2. However, the oil temperature sensor 2l may be disposed anywhere in the oil flow path.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the generator 4 is connected to the internal combustion engine 2 and generates electricity by being driven by the internal combustion engine 2. The electric power (first electric power) generated by the generator 4 can charge the drive battery 10 and can be supplied to the front motor 6 and the rear motor 8 (hereinafter referred to as the motors in the specification) via the front inverter 18 and the rear inverter 8b. In this embodiment, the generator 4 is a motor generator, and in addition to generating electricity, it can motor the internal combustion engine 2 by rotating and driving the internal combustion engine 2. When driven by the internal combustion engine 2, the generator 4 generates electricity by applying a load to the generator 4. On the other hand, the generator 4 is supplied with electric power from the drive battery 10 and powers the internal combustion engine 2 to motor it. The generator 4 is controlled by a generator control device 4a provided in the front inverter 18. The generator control device 4a is electrically connected to the control device 20, receives a signal from the control device 20, and controls the power generation and power running so that the generator 4 is in a desired operating state.

[0019] The driving battery 10 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and has a battery module (not shown) composed of multiple battery cells. The driving battery 10 functions as a power source for each motor. The driving battery 10 also has a battery monitoring unit (BMU) 10a that calculates the charging rate (State Of Charge, hereinafter referred to as SOC) of the battery module, detects the deterioration state (State Of Health, hereinafter referred to as SOH) of the battery module, and detects the voltage Bv and battery temperature Btmp of the battery module. The battery monitoring unit 10a obtains the voltage Bv, charging rate SOC, deterioration state SOH, and battery temperature Btmp of the driving battery 10 and transmits them to the control device 20.

[0020] The control device 20 executes at least a control for switching the driving mode, a power generation control for causing the internal combustion engine 2 to generate power in each driving mode, and a motoring control for driving the internal combustion engine 2 by the generator 4.

[0021] In this embodiment, the control device 20 switches to one of the parallel driving mode, the series driving mode, and the EV driving mode (hereinafter referred to as each driving mode in the specification) by controlling the clutch 16a based on information such as the speed V, the charging rate SOC, and the accelerator opening Th. More specifically, the control device 20 determines whether the driver request torque DTq calculated based on the accelerator opening Th is equal to or greater than the mode determination torque MTq set for each of the parallel driving mode, the series driving mode, and the EV driving mode. When the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the mode determination torque MTq, the control device 20 switches to each driving mode.

[0022] In the parallel traveling mode, the electric vehicle 1 travels by transmitting the power of the internal combustion engine 2 to the front drive shaft 12a with the clutch 16a connected. In this embodiment, in the parallel traveling mode, the control device 20 connects the clutch 16a and drives the front drive shaft 12a by both the internal combustion engine 2 and the front motor 6. At this time, the front motor 6 is supplied with either or both of the electric power (second electric power) from the drive battery 10 and the electric power (first electric power) generated by the generator 4. Similarly, the rear motor 8 is supplied with either or both of the electric power (second electric power) from the drive battery 10 and the electric power (first electric power) generated by the generator 4 to drive the rear drive shaft 14a. In the EV mode, the electric vehicle 1 travels by transmitting the driving force of each motor driven by the electric power supplied from the drive battery 10 to each drive shaft while stopping the internal combustion engine 2 with the clutch 16a disconnected. In this embodiment, in EV driving mode, the control device 20 releases the clutch 16a and supplies power (second power) from the driving battery 10 to each motor, and each motor drives the front wheel drive shaft 12a and the rear wheel drive shaft 14a (hereinafter referred to as each drive shaft in the specification).

[0023] In the series traveling mode, the electric vehicle 1 travels by transmitting the driving force of each motor to each drive shaft while the generator 4 generates electricity using the internal combustion engine 2 with the clutch 16a disengaged. In this embodiment, in the series traveling mode, the control device 20 releases the clutch 16a, drives the generator 4 using the internal combustion engine 2, and supplies each motor with a first electric power generated by the generator 4. In addition, when the driving force for each motor to drive each drive shaft is insufficient with the first electric power, the control device 20 also supplies a second electric power from the drive battery 10 to each motor.

[0024] The control device 20 calculates an engine required torque (an example of a required output value) ETq required of the internal combustion engine 2 in each of the parallel driving mode, the series driving mode, and the EV driving mode, and transmits the calculated torque to the engine control device 2a. The engine control device 2a obtains the engine required torque ETq and controls the internal combustion engine 2 so as to achieve the engine required torque ETq. The control device 20 is actually configured by a microcomputer including a calculation device, a memory, an input / output buffer, and the like. The control device 20 controls each device based on signals from each sensor and various devices, as well as maps and programs stored in the memory, so that the electric vehicle 1 is in a desired operating state.

[0025] In this embodiment, various control devices including the engine control device 2a, the generator control device 4a, the front motor control device 6a, the rear motor control device 8a, and the battery monitoring unit 10a are provided separately from the control device 20. The various control devices are electrically connected to the control device 20. However, the various control devices may be provided integrally with the control device 20. Like the control device 20, the various control devices are configured by microcomputers including a calculation device, a memory, an input / output buffer, and the like.

[0026] The accelerator pedal 21 is a pedal that is depressed by the driver of the electric vehicle 1 to control the acceleration and deceleration of the electric vehicle 1. An accelerator position sensor 21a that detects the depression position of the accelerator pedal 21 is provided on the accelerator pedal 21. The accelerator position sensor 21a is electrically connected to the control device 20 and transmits the accelerator depression position (accelerator opening degree) to the control device 20.

[0027] The external power supply device 22 is a device for supplying power from the driving battery 10 to electrical equipment (one example of an external device, such as a home appliance) prepared by the user of the electric vehicle 1 separately from the electric vehicle 1. The external power supply device 22 includes an inverter, and converts DC current from the driving battery 10 into AC current suitable for the electrical equipment.

[0028] Incidentally, in the electric vehicle of Patent Document 1, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, the internal combustion engine is started and warmed up. However, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, friction in the internal combustion engine is high. This causes energy loss and increases fuel consumption in the internal combustion engine. In such a state, it is preferable to suppress operation of the internal combustion engine 2 and expand the range in which each drive shaft is driven by each motor using electric power from the drive battery 10.

[0029] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, for example, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in a hot state, the electric vehicle 1 has an area in which it runs in the EV driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the EV driving area in the specification), an area in which it runs in the series driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the series driving area in the specification), and an area in which it runs in the parallel driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the parallel driving area in the specification). In this embodiment, for example, the area from time t1 to time t2 at a speed equal to or less than V1 (e.g., 50 km / h) is the EV driving area. The area from time t2 to time t3 between the speed V1 and the speed V2 (e.g., 70 km / h) is the series driving area. The high-speed driving area from time t4 to time t5 where the vehicle accelerates to a speed equal to or higher than V2, and then accelerates to a steady driving speed and a speed V3 (e.g., 100 km / h) is the parallel driving area.

[0030] When the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state, the EV driving region is expanded and the regions of the series driving mode and the parallel driving mode are reduced by replacing a part of the series driving region and the parallel driving region with the EV driving region, as shown by the dashed line X from time t2a to time t3 in Fig. 3 and the dashed line Y from time t4a to time t4b in Fig. 3. This makes it possible to suppress the use of the internal combustion engine 2 and suppress an increase in fuel consumption due to friction.

[0031] On the other hand, in such an electric vehicle 1, there occurs a transmission loss of the power transmitted from the generator 4 to each motor and the drive battery 10, and a transmission loss of the power supplied from the drive battery 10 to each motor. When the internal combustion engine 2 is in a hot state, if the EV driving range is expanded in the same way as when the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state, the energy loss due to the transmission loss is larger than the energy loss due to friction in the internal combustion engine 2.

[0032] More specifically, the description will be given on the assumption that the predetermined SOCt is reached at time t5 in both the cold and hot states. When the predetermined SOCt is reached at time t5, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in the cold state, the region from time t2a to time t3 is changed from the series driving region to the EV driving region. Also, the region from time t4a to time t4b is changed from the parallel driving region to the EV driving region. As a result, the SOC is lower than in the hot state, and it is necessary to generate power by adding the decreased amount to the output of the internal combustion engine 2 used for driving force in the other series driving region and parallel driving region. However, in the cold state, the energy loss due to friction exceeds the energy loss due to power transmission loss, so that the energy loss of the electric vehicle 1 as a whole is smaller when the portion of the broken line X and the portion of the broken line Y are set to the EV region. As a result, the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine 2 can be suppressed.

[0033] On the other hand, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in a hot state, the energy loss due to friction in the internal combustion engine 2 is smaller than the energy loss due to the power transmission loss. For this reason, the power transmission loss can be suppressed by using the internal combustion engine 2 in the series running region from time t2a to time t3 and in the parallel running region from time t4a to time t4b to suppress the decrease in SOC. As a result, the amount of power generated in addition to the output of the internal combustion engine 2 used for driving force is reduced, and the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine 2 can be suppressed. From the above viewpoint, the control device 20 executes the following control.

[0034] Next, a control procedure of the control device 20 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. The control device 20 starts a control operation when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

[0035] In step S1, the control device 20 determines whether the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state. In this embodiment, the control device 20 determines whether the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state from the oil temperature acquired from the oil temperature sensor 2l. The oil temperature of the internal combustion engine 2 rises later than the water temperature. For this reason, the control device 20 can more easily expand the EV driving range by determining whether the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state from the oil temperature of the internal combustion engine 2.

[0036] If the control device 20 determines that the internal combustion engine 2 is in a cold state (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2, where it determines whether or not external power supply control is in progress. If the control device 20 determines in step S2 that external power supply control is not in progress (NO in step S2), the control device 20 proceeds to step S3, where it determines whether or not refueling control is in progress. If the control device 20 determines that there is no refueling control in progress (NO in step S3), it proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the control device 20 determines whether or not there is a heater request. If the control device 20 determines that there is no heater request and the heater is not operating (NO in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0037] In step S5, the control device 20 executes the first EV driving range expansion control. When executing the first EV driving range expansion control, the control device 20 changes the mode determination torque MTq for switching from the EV driving mode to the series driving mode or the parallel driving mode to a higher value. In this embodiment, the control device 20 changes the mode determination torque MTq to the first mode determination torque MTq1, which is a torque higher than the third mode determination torque MTq3 in the hot state. As a result, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in the cold state, the internal combustion engine 2 switches to the EV driving mode at a driver request torque DTq higher than that in the hot state. More specifically, for example, the area of ​​the broken line X and the area of ​​the broken line Y shown in FIG. 3 become the EV driving range. That is, the EV driving range is expanded. After executing the first EV driving range expansion control, the control device 20 proceeds to the process of step S6.

[0038] In step S6, the control device 20 judges whether the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the first mode determination torque MTq1 changed in step S5. If the control device 20 judges that the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the first mode determination torque MTq1 (YES in step S6), the control device 20 switches from the EV driving mode to the series driving mode or the parallel driving mode, and proceeds to step S7. If the control device 20 judges that the driver request torque DTq is smaller than the first mode determination torque MTq1 (NO in step S6), the control device 20 returns to the process before step S5 and continues the first EV driving range expansion control.

[0039] In step S7, the control device 20 judges whether the usage frequency N of the internal combustion engine 2 is equal to or less than a predetermined frequency N1. The usage frequency N may be the time or number of times that the internal combustion engine 2 has been operated since an ignition switch (not shown) was turned on. If the control device 20 judges that the usage frequency N of the internal combustion engine 2 is not equal to or less than the predetermined frequency N1 (step S7 NO), the control device 20 proceeds to the process of step S8. If the control device 20 judges that the usage frequency N of the internal combustion engine 2 is equal to or less than the predetermined frequency N1 (step S7 YES), the control device 20 returns the process to before step S11 and continues the first EV driving range expansion control. This causes the expanded state of the EV driving range to continue.

[0040] In step S8, the control device 20 executes warm-up request control (warm-up control) of the internal combustion engine 2. In this embodiment, the control device 20 transmits an engine request torque ETq required for warm-up to the engine control device 2a. After executing the warm-up request control of the internal combustion engine 2, the control device 20 proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the control device 20 starts the internal combustion engine 2 and transmits an engine request torque ETq according to the driver request torque DTq, thereby controlling the internal combustion engine 2 to be in a desired operating state. After operating the internal combustion engine, the control device 20 returns the process to before step S1.

[0041] When the control device 20 determines in step S1 that the internal combustion engine 2 is not in a cold state, that is, when the internal combustion engine 2 is in a hot state, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the control device 20 determines whether the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the third mode determination torque MTq3 in the hot state. When the control device 20 determines that the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the third mode determination torque MTq3 (YES in step S10), the control device 20 switches to the series traveling mode or the parallel traveling mode, and proceeds to step S9. When the control device 20 determines that the driver request torque DTq is equal to or less than the third mode determination torque MTq3 in the hot state (NO in step S10), the process returns to step S1.

[0042] If the control device 20 determines in step S2 that external power supply control is in progress (step S2: YES), if it determines in step S3 that refueling control has been performed (step S3: YES), or if it determines in step S4 that a heater request has been made (step S4: YES), the control device 20 proceeds to step S11.

[0043] During external power supply control, the charging rate SOC of the drive battery 10 decreases, so there is a high possibility that the control device 20 will start the internal combustion engine 2 to charge the drive battery 10. Furthermore, for a certain period of time after refueling control is performed, the control device 20 needs to start the internal combustion engine 2 and perform control to cause the internal combustion engine 2 to suck in the fuel evaporation gas adsorbed in the canister (hereinafter referred to as canister purge control in this specification). Furthermore, if there is a heater request, the control device 20 needs to operate the internal combustion engine 2.

[0044] Therefore, the control device 20 executes the second EV driving range expansion control in step S11. The second EV driving range expansion control is a mode in which the control device 20 controls the electric vehicle 1 so that the expansion of the EV driving range is suppressed more than in the first EV driving range expansion control in step S5, while the EV driving range of the internal combustion engine 2 is larger than in the hot state. In this embodiment, the control device 20 sets the mode determination torque MTq to a second mode determination torque MTq2 that is smaller than the first mode determination torque MTq1 and larger than the third mode determination torque MTq3. As a result, the EV driving range in the second EV driving range expansion control is suppressed more than the EV driving range in the first EV driving range expansion control. Therefore, the frequency of use of the internal combustion engine 2 increases. As a result, it is possible to prepare for the operation of the internal combustion engine 2 for power generation in preparation for the external power supply control, the operation of the internal combustion engine 2 for the canister purge control, and the operation of the internal combustion engine 2 for the heater request. After executing the second EV driving range expansion control, the control device 20 proceeds to the process in step S12. In the second EV driving range expansion control, the control device 20 may set the second mode determination torque MTq2 in accordance with each of the external power supply control, the canister purge control, and the heater request.

[0045] In step S12, the control device 20 determines whether the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the second mode determination torque MTq2 changed in step S11. If the control device 20 determines that the driver request torque DTq is equal to or greater than the second mode determination torque MTq2 (YES in step S12), the control device 20 switches from the EV driving mode to the series driving mode or the parallel driving mode, and proceeds to step S7. If the driver request torque DTq is smaller than the second mode determination torque MTq2, the control device 20 returns the process to step S11 and continues the second EV driving range expansion control.

[0046] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an electric vehicle 1 capable of suppressing fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine 2 in a cold state.

[0047] <Other embodiments> Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, the multiple modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

[0048] (a) In the above embodiment, a four-wheel drive hybrid vehicle has been described as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electric vehicle 1 may be a front-wheel drive hybrid vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The electric vehicle 1 may also be a four-wheel drive plug-in hybrid vehicle.

[0049] (b) In the above embodiment, the clutch 16a is used to connect the internal combustion engine 2 and the front wheel drive shaft 12a, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The internal combustion engine 2 and the front wheel drive shaft 12a may be connected via a planetary gear.

[0050] (c) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the internal combustion engine 2 and the generator 4 are connected by gears, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The internal combustion engine 2 and the generator 4 may be connected via planetary gears. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1: Electric vehicle, 2: Internal combustion engine, 2K: Heater device 2l: Oil temperature sensor, 6: Freon and motor, 10: Drive battery 12a: front wheel drive shaft, 20: control device, 22: external power supply device, 23: fuel tank DTq: Driver required torque MTq: Mode judgment torque, MTq1: 1st mode judgment torque MTq2: 2nd mode judgment torque, MTq3: 3rd mode judgment torque N: Usage frequency

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine mounted in an electric vehicle; A motor that drives a drive shaft of the electric vehicle; a driving battery that supplies power to the motor; a sensor for detecting a temperature of oil lubricating the internal combustion engine; a control device that determines whether the internal combustion engine is in a cold state based on a temperature of the oil, and, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, executes a first EV driving range expansion control to make a range in which the motor drives the drive shaft using electric power from the drive battery wider than when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state; an external power supply device capable of supplying electric power from the driving battery to an external device connected to the electric vehicle; Equipped with During external power supply control in which the external power supply device supplies power to the external device, the control device suppresses the frequency at which the motor drives the drive shaft using power from the drive battery more than when the external power supply control is not being executed, and executes second EV driving range expansion control such that the area in which the motor drives the drive shaft using power from the drive battery is larger than when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state. Electric vehicle.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed in an oil pan of the internal combustion engine.

3. When the internal combustion engine is started in a cold state, the control device executes a warm-up control to warm up the internal combustion engine from a cold state to a hot state, acquiring a usage frequency of the internal combustion engine, and suppressing operation of the internal combustion engine through the warm-up control when the usage frequency of the internal combustion engine is equal to or lower than a predetermined frequency; The electric vehicle according to claim 1 .

4. 4. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the frequency of use is the time and number of times the internal combustion engine has been operated since an ignition switch was turned on.

5. a generator that is driven by the internal combustion engine and supplies the generated electric power to the motor or the drive battery; a clutch that transmits and interrupts power between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft, The control device includes: control to switch between an EV driving mode in which the driving force of the motor driven by electric power supplied from the driving battery is transmitted to the drive shaft while the internal combustion engine is stopped with the clutch disengaged, a series driving mode in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the drive shaft while the generator is generated by the internal combustion engine with the clutch disengaged, and a parallel driving mode in which the power of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the drive shaft with the clutch engaged, 5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state, a region of the EV driving mode is expanded and a region of the series driving mode and the parallel driving mode is reduced, compared to when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state.

6. The electric vehicle further includes a fuel tank. the control device executes a second EV driving range expansion control such that, during a predetermined period after the fuel tank is filled with fuel, the area in which the motor drives the drive shaft using electric power from the drive battery is restricted more than that in the first EV driving range expansion control, compared to other than the predetermined period, while the control device executes a second EV driving range expansion control such that the area in which the motor drives the drive shaft using electric power from the drive battery is increased more than that in a hot state of the internal combustion engine. The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Further comprising a heater that utilizes exhaust heat from the internal combustion engine, The control device, while the heater is in operation, suppresses the area in which the motor drives the drive shaft using electric power from the drive battery more than when the heater is not in operation, compared to when the heater is not in operation, and executes a second EV driving range expansion control such that the area in which the motor drives the drive shaft using electric power from the drive battery is larger than when the internal combustion engine is in a hot state. The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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