Patent ID: 8718849

Claim:
A hybrid vehicle, comprising: a rotating electric machine for generating a vehicle driving force; a power storage device mounted in the vehicle; a power control unit for performing power conversion between said power storage device and said rotating electric machine; an internal combustion engine for generating a vehicle driving force; an external charging unit for charging said power storage device by a power source external to the vehicle; and a control device for controlling traveling of the vehicle, said control device including a traveling mode selection unit for selecting, in response to a state of charge of said power storage device, one of a first traveling mode in which said internal combustion engine and said rotating electric machine are used such that the vehicle travels mainly using an output of said rotating electric machine irrespective of a residual capacity of said power storage device, and a second traveling mode in which said internal combustion engine and said rotating electric machine are used such that the vehicle travels with the residual capacity of said power storage device being maintained within a predetermined control range, an upper limit vehicle speed setting unit for setting an upper limit vehicle speed for traveling of the vehicle using only the output of said rotating electric machine, in response to the traveling mode selected by said traveling mode selection unit, and a traveling control unit for controlling traveling of the vehicle to use both of outputs of said internal combustion engine and the rotating electric machine, if a vehicle speed exceeds said upper limit vehicle speed, said upper limit vehicle speed setting unit setting said upper limit vehicle speed in said first traveling mode to be lower than said upper limit vehicle speed in said second traveling mode.