This paper presents a brake control strategy with a novel approach to the allocation of actuator effort in an electric vehicle. The proposed strategy relies on a combination of the conventional hydraulic braking system and the electric machine in order to improve braking performance. The higher response frequency of the electric machine is paired with the additional braking torque employed by the hydraulic brakes using an integrated control allocation strategy, which allows for a constant availability of a faster and more accurate modulation of both wheel torque and wheel speed. Therefore, the availability of an electric machine as a fast longitudinal actuator yields to an improved tracking of the desired wheel slip, especially when compared to the hydraulic actuators used in traditional braking applications. As a result, this strategy leads to a clear and considerable reduction of the braking distance, removes the need for a hydraulic modulator and thereby also removes the disturbing feedback on the brake pedal in hard braking maneuvers. The control algorithm is implemented and tested with numerical analysis using a plant model identified and validated with experimental data from a NEVS electric vehicle.
