A novel Maximum Control Structure Schema for

Four Wheels Electric Vehicle Drive

Abdelfatah NASRI, Brahim GASBAOUI, Abdellah LAOUFI
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to present a traction control algorithm for an electric vehicle (EV) with four separate
wheel drives. This algorithm is necessary to improve the vehicle stability, the independent Machine Control of
the wheels drive electric vehicle (EV). The control of each wheel individually represents a major inconvenient.
This configuration called the Independent Machine Control Structure (IMCS), in which each wheel is driven by
an electric motor was replaced by novel control structure to solve the electric vehicle safety problem, when the
classical proposed control can't ensure the electric vehicle stability in several road topology situations. A new
control approach for the 4 wheel-motors drive EV is based on the Maximum Control Structure (MCS) Method
for both of front and rear driving wheels based on multivariable PID (MIMO-PID) strategy that estimates the
linear speed error of each wheel. To achieve good performances, a correlation of the traction controller with
motor performances has been implemented. Several simulation results, which show the potential of such a
algorithm, are presented. The obtained results show that the new control system presents more safety for the
electric vehicle than the IMCS strategy that keeps the error slip rate within the optimized range, ensuring the
stability of the vehicle either in a straight, or a curve lane.
Keywords: Electric vehicles (EV), 4Wheels, maximum control structure (MCS), multivariable PID

1.Introduction
The principal constraints in vehicle design
for personal mobility are the development of
a non-polluting high safety and comfortable
vehicle.
Taking into account these constraints, our
interest has been focused on the 4 X 4
electric vehicle, with independent driving inwheel-motor at the front and with classical
motors on the rear drive shaft.
This configuration is a conceivable
solution, the pollution of this vehicle is
strongly decreased and electric traction
gives the possibility to achieve accurate and
quick control of the distribution torque.
Torque control can be ensured by the
inverter, so this vehicle does not require a
mechanical differential gear or gearbox.
One of the main issues in the design of
this vehicle (without mechanical differential)
is to assume the car stability.
During normal driving condition, all drive
wheel system requires a symmetrical
distribution of torque in the both sides [1,2,5].

Abdelfatah NASRI PhD. Stud., nasriab1978@yahoo.fr

Brahim, GASBAOUI, PhD., gasbaoui_2009@yahoo.com
and Abdellah LAOUFI, PhD., laoufi_ab@yahoo.fr: Bechar
Universiy, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, BP 417,
08000 Bechar, Algeria.

The usual configuration of the 4WEV

presents four traction motors driving the front
and rear wheels, using a electronic
differential (ED)gear.
In the model of independent control
structure has the disadvantage of ignoring
the influence of centrifugal and centripetal
force when the vehicle is driven on a curved
surface. In addition, the load transfer and the
effect of the tires are not taken into account.
Therefore, this steady state analysis is not
adequate when the vehicle navigates
complex roads such as those with different
road face conditions or with turns.
In this paper, a novel control method
based on MCS control is proposed. Modeling
and simulation are carried out using the
Matlab/Simulink tool to investigate the
performance of the proposed system.
2. Control schema configuration of the
4 wheels-drive EV
The vehicle considered in the analysis is
a four wheels drive electric vehicle
navigating between the districts in the urban
(Figure 1).

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

39

Figure 1. Electric vehicle with Four-independent-wheels drive

Figure 2. Propulsion system control for 4-wheels

Figure 3. Electronic differential sheme of the EV

Four induction motors are coupled in each

of the rear and front wheels [4,5,6,18,19,20].
The energy source of the electric motors
comes from the Li-ions batteries [3] placed
under the seats.
3. Electric vehicle mechanical load's
The
vehicle
mechanical
load
is
characterized by many torques which are
alomostly resistives [7,12,13,14,15].

The different torques includes:

the vehicle inertia torque defined by
the following relationship:
Tin = J v .

dwv
dt

(1)

the aerodynamics torque is:

Taero =

1
S .T x .Rr3 .wr2
2

(2)

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

40

the slope torque is :

Tslope = Mg. sin

(3)

the tire torque is obtained by:

Ttire = Mgf rr

(4)

and we finally obtain the global resistive

torque:
TV = Taero + Tslope + Ttire

(5)

4.Multivariable PID (MIMO-PID)

controller structure for 4 wheels EV
systems
As it shown in figure 2 (see above), the
controller proposed to achieve the maximal
control structure is based on PID controller
law. This controller is also known as the
classical controller [5,7, 8, 9,10,11]. The
PID controller law of the left front motors is
given by:

u1 ( t ) = K p11 ( t ) + K d1

d1 ( t ) 1
+
1 ( t )dt (6)
dt
K1

when the proposed PID control law of

the right front motors is given by:

d2( t ) 1
+
2( t )dt
dt
K2

u2 ( t ) = K p2 2( t ) + Kd 2

where the proposed PID controller of

the rear driving wheels is given by:

u 3 (t ) = K 3 3(t ) + K d 3

d3e(t ) 1
+
3e(t )dt (8)
dt
K3

when the proposed PID controller of

the rear right driving wheel is given by :

u 4 (t ) = K p 4 4(t ) + K d 4

d 4(t ) 1
+
4(t )dt
dt
K4
(9)

The multivariable PID (MIMO-PID)

controller of the four motors is given by the
following formula:

[ ]

u i (t ) = K pi i (t ) + [K di ]

d i (t )
+ [K ii ] i (t )dt
dt

5. Electronic differential
The main purpose of the electronic
differential is to substitute the mechanical
differential in multi-drive systems providing
the required torque for each driving wheel
and allowing different wheel speeds (see
Table 1 and Table 2).
Table 1 Electric vehicle Parameters

Pn
Je
Rw
a

M
fe
Kd
A
fv

Lw
dw

Motor Power
Moment on inertia of the drive train
Wheel radius
Total gear ratio
Total transmission efficiency
Vehicle mass
Bearing friction coefficient
Aerodynamic coefficient
Vehicle frontal area
Vehicle friction coefficient
Grade angle of the road
Distance between two wheels and
axes
Distance between the back and the
front wheels

37 Kw
2
7.07Kgm
0.36m
10.0
93%
3904Kg
0.001
0.46
2
3.48 m
0.01
rad
2.5m
1.5m

Table 2. Induction Motors Parameters (13)

(7)

K di define: the proportional term, the integral

and the derivative term [5,9, 10, 11].
To define these terms in our electric
vehicle simulations, we propose these
coefficients based on try and errors.

(10)

where i (t ) are the speed errors of the left

(front and rear) motors and right motors(front
and rear) i=1 to 4, the terms K pi , K ii and

Rr

Rotor winding resistance (per

phase)
Rs Stator winding resistance (per
phase)
Ls Stator leakage inductance (per
pohase)
Lm Magnetizing inductance (per phase)
Lr Rotor leakage inductance (per
phase)
fc Friction coefficient
P Number of poles
Vh Vehicle linear speed

0.0503
0.08233
0.000724 H
0.02711 H
0.000724 H
0.02711
2
60km/h

Each wheel drive linear speed is given by

this electronic differential in straight and
curved roads [2,3,4,5, 6,15,16,17,18].
6. Simulation results
In order to show the efficiency of the
maximal control structure of the 4 wheels
electric vehicle, drive simulations were
carried by using the model showed in
Figure 2 (see above).
They vehicle speed variation for PID and
MIMO-PID controllers are presented in the
following road trajectory:

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

41

Curved road at right side at 3 sec and

left side's at 6 seconds with speed of
60 km/h with variation of the speed
reference at 7 sec until speed of
80 km/h under slope at 8 sec and
inverse slope's road at 9 sec.
Simulation were carried on Matlab
Simulink, we obtain the following
results (Figure 4 and Figure 5).
Figure 7. MIMO -PID Vehicle speed variation

The slope road with 10 % at 60 km/h

speed at time 8 and 9 sec :
In this test, the system is submitted to the
same speed step's. The driving wheels
speeds stay always the same and the road
slope does not affect the control of the wheel
as it shown in (Figure 6 and Figure 7), so the
MIMO-PID controller act immediately to
reduce the speed error caused by the slope
road constraints and gives more and more
efficiency to four wheels electric vehicle
stability.
The error speed is reduced in MIMO-PID
in both of rear and front driving wheels
compared with PID ones as it shown in
Figure 8 and Figure 9 compared with
Figure 4 and Figure 5 by means that the
Proposed
maximal
control
structure
(PID MIMO) is more adapted of the four
wheels electric vehicle control more than the
independent control (PID) the vehicle
autonomous can be perfected in the
proposed control comparing with the
independent control structure, the rising time
is improved with no overshoot when the
overshoot equal to 11 % in PID case's.

Figure 4. PID Front wheels speeds variation

Figure 5. PID Rear wheels speeds variations

To compare the effect of disturbances on

the vehicle speed in the cases of two types
of controls, figure 6 and figure 7 shows the
system response in two cases (MIMO- PID
the PID classical control).

Figure 6. Vehicle Linear speeds variation

Figure 8. MIMO-PID Vehicle Rear Wheels variation

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

42

Figure 9. MIMO-PID Vehicle Front wheels variation

7. Conclusions
In this paper a simulation of a new
traction control algorithm for an electric
vehicle with four separate wheel drives has
been proposed. Using the most advantage of
electric traction (quick and precise torque
control) this algorithm which incorporates all
new known vehicle systems control
knowledge as MIMO PID is our solution of
new constraints imposed in vehicle design :
high safety and non polluting personal
vehicle. The proposed control is necessary
however to guarantee the lateral dynamic
stability.
8. Acknowledgment
This work was pprepared in Bechar
university (Algeria) in Electric Engineering
Department, so all my acknowledgment of
every body who helps us to prepare this
paper.
9. References
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10. Biography
Abdelfatah NASRI was born in
Bchar (Algeria), on April 5, 1978.
He received the electric engineering
diploma
from
Bechar
Center
University-Algeria in 2002, and the
Master
degree from the University of Sciences and
Technology of Oran (USTO), Algeria in 2006.
From 2007, he's preparing his Phd degree in
electric engineering from the University of Djilali

43

Liabes Sidi Belabess (Algeria).Currently, he is an

associate Professor at Bechar University. His
research interests concern: power electronics,
electric vehicles control technologies, and
embedded systems and EV power sources
developpement.
Brahim GASBAOUI received the
electric engineering diploma from the
University Ibn-Khaldoun of TIARET
(UIT), in 1993 and the MS degree in
2008
from
Bechar
University
University-Algeria, and the
Ph.D. degree from the Faculty of the Sciences
and the Technology of the Bechar University.
Currently, he is associate professor of electric
engineering at Bechar University. His research
interests include power electronics robust control
for electric vehicle and propulsion system, power
electronics, antilock brake systems, anti-skid
control for electric vehicles drive.
Abdellah LAOUFI received his
state engineer degree in Electric
No photo Engineering from the University of
available Sciences and Technology of Oran
(USTO), Algeria. He took his MSc
and
PhD from the Electric Engineering Institute of the
University of Djillali Liabes, Algeria. He is
currently a professor of electric Engineering at
Bechar University. His research interests include
power electronics, electric network problems, and
electric vehicle propulsion system control and its
applications.