Simulation and verification analysis of the ride comfort of an in-wheel motor-driven electric vehicle based on a combination of ADAMS and MATLAB

To study the ride comfort of wheel-hub-driven electric vehicles, a simulation and verification method based on a combination of ADAMS and MATLAB modeling is proposed. First, a multibody dynamic simulation model of an in-wheel motor-driven electric vehicle is established using ADAMS/Car. Then, the pavement excitation and electromagnetic force analytical equations are provided based on the specific operating conditions of the vehicle and the in-wheel motor to analyze the impact of the electromagnetic force fluctuation from an unsprung mass increase and motor air gap unevenness on vehicle ride comfort after the introduction of an in-wheel motor. Next, the vibration model and the motion differential equation of the body–wheel dual-mass system of an in-wheel motor-driven electric vehicle are established. The influence of the in-wheel motor on the vibration response index of the dual-mass system is analyzed by using MATLAB/Simulink software. The variation in the vehicle vibration performance index with/without the motor electromagnetic force excitation factor is analyzed and compared with the ADAMS multibody dynamics analysis results. The results show that the method based on a combination of ADAMS and MATLAB modeling can forecast the ride comfort of an in-wheel motor-driven electric vehicle, reducing the cost of physical prototype experiments.