This paper presents a model predictive control approach for the energy management problem of a power-split hybrid electric vehicle system with slope information. The new features of this study are as follows. First, the vehicle speed model which includes the slope information is incorporated in the full-order model of the power-split hybrid electric vehicle system. Second, it examines the effect of selecting the high-efficiency area rather than the area near the engine optimal operation line using the continuously variable transmission. Third, it uses logarithm functions for the state constraints and the state variant control input constraints of the optimal control problem. By analyzing the configuration of the power-split hybrid electric vehicle system, we developed a full-order model. The model predictive control problem is solved using numerical computation method: continuation and generalized minimum residual method. Computer simulation results showed that the fuel economy was much better using the model predictive control approach than the ADVISOR (ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR) rule-based approach in two cases. We conclude that the model predictive control approach is effective for the application of power-split hybrid electric vehicle systems energy management with slope information.