Multiple controllers add to EV complexity

Model-based design has revolutionized the way products are developed, with design shifting from parts to the whole.

As the number of electronic controllers in vehicles has increased, the control-design community has turned to model-based design (MBD) to help accelerate and manage the development process.

MBD uses physics-based models of the systems to be controlled (called “plant models”) to provide a basis for the controller design. This process was soon extended to allow the prototype controllers to be tested with the virtual plant model on real-time simulators before integrating them into the real vehicle systems. This allowed the engineer to validate that the system will work within specification or, if it does not, to adjust the design to bring it into spec.