Patent ID: 8774993

Claim:
A hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor serving as a power source for driving the hybrid vehicle and a power storage device supplying electric power to the electric motor, comprising: a catalytic converter purifying an exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine; a warming-up unit configured to warm up the catalytic converter by retarding opening and closing timing of an intake valve of the internal combustion engine after starting the internal combustion engine; a setting unit configured to set a traveling distance of the hybrid vehicle; an estimation unit configured to estimate a possible running distance in an electric-motor traveling mode of traveling with the internal combustion engine turned off and with the electric motor driven, based on a state of charge of the power storage device; a comparison unit configured to compare the possible running distance estimated by the estimation unit with the traveling distance set by the setting unit; and a power generation unit configured to generate electric power to charge the power storage device by motive power of the internal combustion engine, wherein the hybrid vehicle switches from the electric-motor traveling mode to a hybrid vehicle mode by starting the internal combustion engine when a state of charge of the power storage device falls below a predetermined threshold value, the hybrid vehicle further including a threshold value setting unit for setting the predetermined threshold value at a first threshold value when the possible running distance estimated by the estimation unit is longer than the traveling distance set by the setting unit, and setting the predetermined threshold value at a second threshold value, larger than the first threshold value by an amount necessary for traveling while the catalytic converter is warmed up by the warming up unit when the possible running distance estimated by the estimation unit is not longer than the traveling distance set by the setting unit.