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Optimal Vehicle Dynamics is one of the key metrics that all Vehicle Manufacturers strive to achieve. The metrics vary from customer to customer and vehicle to vehicle. The vehicle dynamics represent the DNA of the car and the manufacturer. The challenge with the current state of pre-autonomy always is to achieve the state of vehicle dynamics that delivers stability/safety yet the responsiveness needed. In addition, there are always tradeoffs between ride/NVH and handling, where vehicle manufacturers end up sacrificing one for the other. The paper establishes the baseline of electrification advantages to address the past vehicle dynamics challenges and then discusses how the traditional vehicle dynamics design and metrics will evolve as the vehicle architecture migrates from mechanization/electrification to level 4/5 Autonomy. Customer preferences and demands will change with Autonomy.

Battery electric vehicles are quickly gaining momentum to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and emission reduction. However, they must be designed to provide adequate range on a single charge combined with good acceleration performance, top speed, gradeability, and fast charging times. The paper presents a model for sizing the power train of an electric vehicle, including the power electronic converter, electric motor, and battery pack. A major assumption is that an optimal wheel slip rate can be achieved by modern vehicles using slip control systems. MATLAB/Simulink was used to model the vehicle powertrain. Simulations were conducted based on different speed and acceleration profiles. The purpose of the study focused on the motor and power electronics sizing requirements to achieve optimal range and performance.