CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD OF HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE

A control apparatus controls a hybrid electric vehicle including an engine, an electric motor that uses power from the engine to generate electric power, and a battery. The control apparatus sets a target power of the engine based on a power required for driving the vehicle and a target charging power of the battery and sets a larger one of a required rotational speed of the engine corresponding to the target power and a lower limit rotational speed to a target rotational speed of the engine. When a state in which the target charging power is limited to be small and the required rotational speed is less than the lower limit rotational speed continues for a predetermined time, the control apparatus sets the target rotational speed such that a rotational speed of the engine becomes a value within a fluctuation range of the required rotational speed within the predetermined time.