Apparatus and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle

A control unit moves an engine throttle to the wide open position whenever the driver wishes to decelerate. This maximizes the transfer of rotational energy from the vehicle wheels to a flywheel which is coupled to a drivetrain because pumping losses in the engine are much reduced due to the open throttle. The energy stored in the flywheel can be used at a later time to supplement the engine's motive power. The control unit also controls an electro hydraulic clutch which couples and decouples the flywheel to and from the drivetrain through a continuous variable transmission (CVT) . The gear ratio of the CVT is set by the ECU