CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HYBRID VEHICLE, HYBRID VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR HYBRID VEHICLE

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle determines a scheduled travel route. The control apparatus further determines a downhill section included in the scheduled travel route by using gradient information acquired for a road section at the time when the vehicle has traveled on the road section and using gradient information stored in a navigation database (86) for a road section on which the vehicle travels for the first time. The control apparatus determines a section from a downhill control start point to an end point of the target downhill section as a controlled target section. The downhill control start point is a point located a predetermined first distance closer to the vehicle (10) from a start point of the target downhill section. When the vehicle (10) travels on the controlled target section, the control apparatus executes downhill control.