Control system for the future of mobility: developed on a four wheel drive Formula Student Electric Racecar

With the transformation of automotive to electric all wheel drive trains, comes the need for an efficient control system. The current state of the art vehicles offer several separate control systems to increase vehicle performance, stability and efficiency. Examples include: torque vectoring, traction control, electronic stability control and anti-lock braking systems. However, these systems are developed individually and later brought together leading to internal conflicts and eventually a need for the separate controls to compensate each other. Luckily with our experience in the highly prestigious Formula Student Electric competition we have the ultimate test platform and goal to realize a solution!

In order to optimize the handling behavior of a four wheel drive electric vehicle, a new control algorithm referred to as “Velocity Vectoring” is being developed. The systems allows merging the aforementioned systems like torque vectoring, traction control and ABS into a single effective driver aiding algorithm. The initial tests using velocity vectoring on our Formula Student Electric vehicle, the URE11, have brought promising results. The control algorithm is currently undergoing further optimization to ensure that it will aid our drivers as best as possible while achieving unrivaled vehicle performance. Furthermore a vehicle state estimator is used as input for the control model, meaning the costs of the needed sensors to optimally use the Velocity Vectoring system is significantly reduced. While our development of the system is for racing purposes it is also highly advantageous for road-vehicles. Future AWD electric vehicles featuring the system will be safer due to more stability under all weather conditions, more efficient as the system simulates an optimal differential and finally higher performance of the vehicles is possible.