Patent ID: 8370012

Claim:
A drive control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that travels using an internal combustion engine and a motor as power sources for travel, the apparatus executing drive control of the internal combustion engine and the motor according to a planned control schedule, the apparatus comprising: a travel information record section configured (i) to collect in association with travel of the vehicle an amount of acquisition electrical power, which is acquired when regeneratively charging a battery to drive the motor, for a plurality of predetermined road sections and (ii) to record in a storage device the collected amount of acquisition electrical power for each of the plurality of predetermined road sections; an acquisition power determination section configured (i) to acquire from the storage device an amount of acquisition electrical power relative to each of the plurality of predetermined road sections included in a planned travel course, which is specified by the planned control schedule, and (ii) to make an acquisition determination as to whether the planned travel course includes a road section where an amount of acquisition electrical power is greater than an acquisition-related threshold value; and a drive management section configured (i) to make a reconsideration of the drive control, which is to be executed according to the planned control schedule, when it is determined that the planned travel course includes the road section where the amount of acquisition electrical power is greater than the acquisition-related threshold value, and (ii) to prohibit the reconsideration of the drive control, which is to be executed according to the planned control schedule, when it is determined that the planned travel course includes no road section where the amount of acquisition electrical power is greater than the acquisition-related threshold value.