Robust Path Following Control for Small Electric Vehicles Equipped with In-Wheel Motors

In this paper, it is demonstrated that the proposed robust path following controller enhances maneuverability and stability of small electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with in-wheel motors through the JSAE-SICE benchmark problem No. 3. In order to achieve high maneuverability, maximum tire force is explicitly considered using octagonal approximation. Verifications are conducted using full vehicle model so that the practical vehicle performance is evaluated. In addition to evaluate the total vehicle performance, we apply the controller to all benchmark scenarios and show its maneuverability and stability of small EV are enhanced.