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. 2024 May 31;24(11):3557.
doi: 10.3390/s24113557.

Effect of Weight Distribution and Active Safety Systems on Electric Vehicle Performance

Valerio Gori  1 , Will Hendrix  2 , Amritam Das  2 , Zhiyong Sun  2
Affiliations

Effect of Weight Distribution and Active Safety Systems on Electric Vehicle Performance

Valerio Gori et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper describes control methods to improve electric vehicle performance in terms of handling, stability and cornering by adjusting the weight distribution and implementing control systems (e.g., wheel slip control, and yaw rate control). The vehicle is first simulated using the bicycle model to capture the dynamics. Then, a study on the effect of weight distribution on the driving behavior is conducted. The study is performed for three different weight configurations. Moreover, a yaw rate controller and a wheel slip controller are designed and implemented to improve the vehicle's performance for cornering and longitudinal motion under the different loading conditions. The simulation through the bicycle model is compared to the experiments conducted on a rear-wheel driven radio-controlled (RC) electric vehicle. The paper shows how the wheel slip controller contributes to the stabilization of the vehicle, how the yaw rate controller reduces understeering, and how the location of the center of gravity (CoG) affects steering behavior. Lastly, an analysis of the combination of control systems for each weight transfer is conducted to determine the configuration with the highest performance regarding acceleration time, braking distance, and steering behavior.

Keywords: active safety systems; electric vehicle; torque vectoring; weight distribution; wheel slip controller.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental set up: vehicle system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental set up: software system overview.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experimental set up: throttle handle and torque generation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Vehicle on scales for weight measurement.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Vehicle loading condition.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Yaw rate controller scheme.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The control loop in the wheel model.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Vehicle steering behavior: modeled and experimental data.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Vehicle steering behavior with yaw rate controller.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Vehicle steering behavior with yaw rate controller.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Wheel slip controller: wheel velocity against time. (a) Wheel slip controller during braking maneuver (ABS). (b) Wheel slip controller during acceleration manoeuvre (TC).
Figure 12
Figure 12
Wheel speed during a launch and braking maneuver with no slip controller.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Values of slip: launch control.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Vehicle speed during a launch and braking maneuver with no slip controller.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Weight transfer analysis: yaw rate against longitudinal velocity with a yaw rate controller.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Weight transfer analysis: wheel slip controller.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Braking and accelerating distance for different weight distribution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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