HYBRID VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS AND HYBRID VEHICLE INCLUDING THE CONTROL APPARATUS

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a motor, and a storage battery and configured to charge the storage battery with electric power generated as a result of regenerative braking and electric power generated by using output of the engine. When a planned travel route includes a downhill section whose height difference is greater than a predetermined height difference threshold, the controller executes downhill control for decreasing the target remaining capacity of the storage battery. The controller increases the height difference threshold with the estimated average speed of the vehicle during travel in the downhill section, to thereby restrain the execution of the downhill control for a downhill section in which an increase in the remaining capacity is not expected due to a large air resistance acting on the vehicle.