Patent ID: 8036785

Claim:
A method for controlling a powertrain of a hybrid vehicle having an engine, a motor/generator, a battery that is rechargeable using at least one of the engine and the motor/generator, and a powertrain control module (PCM) operable for developing a powertrain control strategy for powering the vehicle using at least one of the engine, the motor/generator, and the battery, the method comprising: determining a current location of the vehicle as a starting point of a preferred route; recording a user-selected ending point of the preferred route; processing a set of route information using the PCM to thereby determine an optimally fuel efficient route for reaching the ending point; and automatically executing the powertrain control strategy over the optimally fuel efficient route; wherein automatically executing the powertrain control strategy substantially depletes a charge level of the battery as the vehicle travels over the optimally fuel efficient route such that the charge level of the battery is substantially depleted when the vehicle reaches the ending point.