Abstract
In-wheel motor technology has reduced the number of components required in a vehicle’s power train system, but it has also led to several additional technological challenges. According to kinematic laws, during the turning maneuvers of a vehicle, the tires must turn at adequate rotational speeds to provide an instantaneous center of rotation. An Electronic Differential System (EDS) controlling these speeds is necessary to ensure speeds on the rear axle wheels, always guaranteeing a tractive effort to move the vehicle with the least possible energy. In this work, we present an EDS developed, implemented, and tested in a virtual environment using MATLAB™, with the proposed developments then implemented in a test car. Exhaustive experimental testing demonstrated that the proposed EDS design significantly improves the test vehicle’s longitudinal dynamics and energy consumption. This paper’s main contribution consists of designing an EDS for an in-wheel motor electric vehicle (IWMEV), with motors directly connected to the rear axle. The design demonstrated effective energy management, with savings of up to 21.4% over a vehicle without EDS, while at the same time improving longitudinal dynamic performance.
Highlights
Controlling these speeds is necessary to ensure speeds on the rear axle wheels, always guaranteeing a tractive effort to move the vehicle with the least possible energy
One of the main characteristics of an in-wheel motor electric vehicle (IWMEV) is the absence of a transmission combined with the wheel’s differential, which has been essential in every four-wheeled vehicle since
The scope of this paper is to evaluate the performance of this Electronic Differential System (EDS) developed around vehicle geometry theory and dynamics equations to improve the handling behavior and energy control of an IWMEV
Summary
Controlling these speeds is necessary to ensure speeds on the rear axle wheels, always guaranteeing a tractive effort to move the vehicle with the least possible energy. With the renewed interest in electric vehicles (EVs) and the mass production of them, a vast new field for improvement has opened up for research engineers, physicists, and designers in many areas, including battery technology, charging stations, power train mechanics, and vehicle energy management [1]. This era of in-vehicle technology has seen the advent of two significant paradigm changes—the electrification of street vehicles and the implementation of higher levels of autonomous driving—thanks to the increased availability of high computational power onboard the vehicles and cloud computing connectivity [2]. One of the main characteristics of an IWMEV is the absence of a transmission combined with the wheel’s differential, which has been essential in every four-wheeled vehicle since
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