Torque Vectoring in Electric Vehicles with In-wheel Motors

Abstract

The scope of this article is to assess the performance of a torque vectoring control strategy applied to an Innovative Hybrid Electric Vehicle with In-Wheel Electric Motors. The vehicle used in the analysis is the XAM, a two-passenger lab prototype, with a modified powertrain to simulate three drivetrain configurations: AWD, FWD and RWD. The vehicle dynamics simulation is done with Adams Car and a co-simulation in MATLAB carries out the PI controller and torque allocation functions. In this virtual environment, several standard maneuvers (such as step steering, ramp steering and double lane changes) were performed in order to tune the control gains and verify the enhancement of the dynamic response of the vehicle. The system shall be considered successful if, when compared to the baseline model (without torque vectoring control), it increases vehicle responsiveness, reinforce stability and creates a more intuitive steering, without jeopardizing other performance indicators.