Regenerative Brake and Slip Angle Control of Electric Vehicle with In-wheel Motor and Active Front Steering

Electric vehicles (EVs) have attractive potential not only for energy and environmental performance but also for vehicle motion control because electric motors have quick and measurable torque response. Recently, the authors' laboratory has developed a completely original EV which has active front and rear steering systems and high-torque direct- drive in-wheel motors in the all wheels. In this paper, the main features of this vehicle are briefly introduced and our recent studies on pitching control, slip-ratio control, and yaw-rate and slip-angle control with lateral force sensors are explained with experimental results.