Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) utilize a combination of an internal combustion engine with an electric motor to provide the power needed to propel a vehicle. This arrangement provides improved fuel economy over a vehicle that has only an internal combustion engine. One method of improving the fuel economy in an HEV includes shutting down the engine during times that the engine operates inefficiently, and is not otherwise needed to propel the vehicle. In these situations, the electric motor coupled with a battery system is used to provide all of the power needed to propel the vehicle. When the driver power demand increases such that the electric motor can no longer provide enough power to meet the demand, or in other cases such as when the battery state of charge (SOC) drops below a certain level, the engine should start quickly and smoothly in a manner that is nearly transparent to the driver.