Motion Control of Electric Vehicles by Distribution Control of Traction Forces

Abstract

This paper proposes a new method to improve the handling and stability of electric vehicles by controlling the yaw moment generated by driving/braking forces. Yaw moment is controlled by the feedforward compensation of steering angle (and steering velocity) to minimize the side slip angle at the vehicle center of gravity. To realize this kind of yaw moment control, the right and left driving/braking forces should be controlled independently. Theoretical analysis and computer simulation are carried out to show the effectiveness of this control system. The results show that the handling and stability are improved significantly compared to those of the conventional two-wheel-steering vehicles, and that a 4WS-equivalent vehicle performance is obtained. This control effectiveness is also verified by experimental results using a downsized vehicle model on a moving belt tester.