Patent ID: 8812183

Claim:
A control device for a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor as drive sources, the hybrid vehicle being capable of performing drive-by-motor operation in which the engine is stopped and only the motor is operated as the drive source, the control device carrying out an intermittent control, in which, when an engine temperature is greater than or equal to a permitting temperature, the drive-by-motor operation is performed on condition that a prescribed executing condition is satisfied, and the control device prohibiting execution of the intermittent control when the engine temperature is less than the permitting temperature, the control device comprising: a transaxle in which the motor, a generator, and an inverter are mounted; a storage device for storing energy produced through the operation of the engine after initiation of system start-up in the vehicle; a heating device for heating at least one of the engine and the transaxle using the energy stored in the storage device at the time of the initiation of the system start-up in the vehicle; and a control section for controlling the heating device to perform heating on the engine using the energy stored in the storage device when the engine temperature can be raised to the permitting temperature or higher through the heating by the energy at the time of the initiation of the system start-up in the vehicle.