Future Vehicle Driven by Electricity and Control—Research on Four-Wheel-Motored “UOT Electric March II”

The electric vehicle (EV) is the most exciting object to apply "advanced motion control" technique. As an EV is driven by electric motors, it has the following three remarkable advantages: 1) motor torque generation is fast and accurate; 2) motors can be installed in two or four wheels; and 3) motor torque can be known precisely. These advantages enable us to easily realize: 1) high performance antilock braking system and traction control system with minor feedback control at each wheel; 2) chassis motion control like direct yaw control; and 3) estimation of road surface condition. "UOT Electric March II" is our novel experimental EV with four in-wheel motors. This EV is made for intensive study of advanced motion control of an EV.