Patent ID: 8244421

Claim:
A vehicle, comprising: an internal combustion engine with an exhaust system that an exhaust purification device having an exhaust purifying catalyst for purifying exhaust is attached; a generator that generates electric power using output power from the internal combustion engine; a motor that is capable of outputting power for driving the vehicle; an accumulator that supplies and receives electric power to and from the generator and the motor; a driving power demand setting module that sets a driving power demand required for driving the vehicle; a low charge state control requesting module that makes a request for low charge state control when at least a temperature of the accumulator is less than a first temperature, the low charge state control being control for managing a stored amount of electricity in the accumulator using a stored amount center smaller than the stored amount center used when the temperature of the accumulator is not less than the first temperature, the stored amount center being a center of a managing range of the stored amount of electricity in the accumulator; a catalyst warming acceleration control requesting module that makes a request for catalyst warming acceleration control when at least a temperature of the exhaust purifying catalyst is less than a second temperature, the catalyst warming acceleration control being control for accelerating warm-up of the exhaust purifying catalyst; and a controller configured to, when the request for the low charge state control is made and the request for the catalyst warming acceleration control is not made, control the internal combustion engine, the generator, and the motor so that the stored amount of electricity in the accumulator is managed by the low charge state control and the vehicle is driven with a driving power corresponding to the set driving power demand, when the request for the low charge state control is not made and the request for the catalyst warming acceleration control is made, the controller controlling the internal combustion engine, the generator, and the motor so that the exhaust purifying catalyst is warmed up by the catalyst warming acceleration control and the vehicle is driven with the driving power corresponding to the set driving power demand, and when the request for the low charge state control is made and the request for the catalyst warming acceleration control is also made, the controller controlling the internal combustion engine, the generator, and the motor so that the exhaust purifying catalyst is warmed up by the catalyst warming acceleration control regardless of the request for the low charge state control and the vehicle is driven with the driving power corresponding to the set driving power demand.