INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-043740 filed on Mar. 12, 2018 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a control apparatus for a vehicle and an automobile.

2. Description of Related Art

In the related art, as this type of the control apparatus for a vehicle, there is proposed a control apparatus that is mounted on an electric automobile having a motor and a battery and performs a route guidance for a planned travel route to a destination (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-232208 (JP 2011-232208 A)). When it is determined that it is needed to charge a battery while the vehicle is on the way to the destination, this control apparatus for a vehicle performs a guidance on a charging station and the destination, by researching for the planned travel route to arrive at the destination through the charging station and performing a route guidance for the re-searched planned travel route.

SUMMARY

When it is determined that the vehicle can travel to the destination without charging the battery, the control apparatus for a vehicle described above does not perform a guidance on the charging station around the planned travel route. Therefore, when, although the vehicle has traveled to the destination without charging the battery, the battery cannot be charged at the destination, there is a possibility that in a new traveling thereafter, the vehicle has an electricity shortage.

The main object of the control apparatus for a vehicle and the automobile according to the disclosure is to prevent the vehicle from having an electricity shortage.

In order to achieve the main object as described above, the control apparatus for a vehicle and the automobile according to the disclosure have adopted the following features.

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a control apparatus for a vehicle, which is mounted on an automobile that has a motor for traveling and a power storage apparatus for exchanging electric power with the motor. The control apparatus for a vehicle, includes an electronic control unit configured to execute external charging for charging the power storage apparatus by using electric power from an external power supply, and a navigation apparatus configured to perform a route guidance for a planned travel route to a destination. When operation information on a charging spot of the destination is not obtainable and it is predicted that the charging spot of the destination is not usable, the navigation apparatus recommends to execute the external charging at a charging spot around the planned travel route.

In the control apparatus for a vehicle, which performs the route guidance for a planned travel route to a destination, according to the first aspect, when operation information on the charging spot of the destination is not obtainable and it is predicted that the charging spot of the destination is not usable, the navigation apparatus recommends to execute the external charging at a charging spot around the planned travel route. In this way, it is possible to promote the execution of external charging at the charging spot around the planned travel route before arriving at the destination. As a result, when external charging is not executable at the destination, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from having an electricity shortage in a new traveling after arriving at the destination. Here, as a “charging spot around the planned travel route”, a charging spot along the planned travel route, or a charging spot (a charging spot through which the vehicle can pass by taking a slight detour from the planned travel route) that is within a predetermined distance away from the planned travel route may be mentioned.

In such a control apparatus for a vehicle according to the first aspect, when it is predicted that the charging spot of the destination is not usable, as a recommendation for executing the external charging at a charging spot around the planned travel route, the navigation apparatus may report a fact that external charging at the charging spot of the destination is not executable, and a charging spot, which is capable of executing the external charging out of charging spots around the planned travel route. Through such processing, when it is predicted that the charging spot of the destination is not usable, it is possible to promote the execution of external charging at charging spots around the planned travel route before arriving at the destination.

Also, in the control apparatus for a vehicle according to the first aspect, when operation information on the charging spot of the destination is not obtainable, as a recommendation for executing the external charging at a charging spot around the planned travel route, the navigation apparatus may report a charging spot around the planned travel route. Through such processing, when operation information on the charging spot of the destination is not obtainable, it is possible to promote the execution of external charging at the charging spot around the planned travel route before arriving at the destination.

In such cases, when a fact that it is unnecessary to report the charging spot around the planned travel route is instructed by a user, the electronic control unit may limit an output of the power storage apparatus. In this way, it is possible to prevent a travelable distance thereafter from being shortened.

In the control apparatus for a vehicle according to the first aspect, the navigation apparatus may predict whether or not the charging spot of the destination is usable at a planned arrival time of the destination. In this way, it is possible to predict whether or not the charging spot of the destination is usable, with high accuracy.

In the control apparatus for a vehicle according to the first aspect, when the vehicle has arrived at the charging spot around the planned travel route, the navigation apparatus may report a charging amount needed for reaching a nearest charging spot in a new traveling after the vehicle has arrived at the destination. In this way, it is possible for a user to recognize this charging amount.

An automobile according to a second aspect of the disclosure includes: the control apparatus for a vehicle in any of aspects described above, a motor for traveling and a power storage apparatus for exchanging electric power with the motor. The control apparatus for a vehicle is mounted on the automobile, and includes an electronic control unit configured to execute external charging for charging the power storage apparatus by using electric power from an external power supply, and a navigation apparatus configured to perform a route guidance for a planned travel route to a destination. When operation information on the charging spot of the destination is not obtainable and it is predicted that the charging spot of the destination is not usable, the navigation apparatus recommends to execute the external charging at a charging spot around the planned travel route; the motor; and the power storage apparatus.

Since the automobile according to the second aspect includes: the control apparatus for a vehicle in any of aspects described above, it is possible to achieve an effect of the control apparatus for a vehicle according to the disclosure, for example, the same effect as an effect in which, when external charging is not executable at the destination, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from having an electricity shortage in a new traveling after arriving at the destination.

