A purge strategy for a hybrid vehicle

摘要

A method for purging a vapour canister 80 in a hybrid electric vehicle with electric motor (30) and internal combustion engine 24 comprises the steps of determining if engine idle conditions are met, starting the engine 24 and purging the vapour canister 80 by opening a valve between the vapour canister 80 and intake manifold 86 of the engine. The throttle plate is also controlled to operate the engine at a low speed to increase the vacuum in the intake manifold. The method may include determining whether the canister is empty and shutting down the engine when it is empty.