Development of a Scaled Setup for Experimental Study of the Effect of Lateral Dynamics on Energy Consumption in Electric Vehicles: An Extension

TL;DR

The paper addresses the neglected influence of lateral dynamics on EV energy use during maneuvers and proposes a scaled RC car setup with a dynamic similitude framework based on the bicycle model and Buckingham $π$ Theorem to map RCC behavior to a Rivian R1T-like EV. By calibrating geometry and inertia to align 13 dimensionless $π$ groups, the authors demonstrate that lane-change maneuvers raise energy demand by $3.4\%$ to $3.78\%$ per event and that scaled results qualitatively match full-scale EV predictions, with quantitative differences attributable to regen control and steering-profile data. The work underscores the need to incorporate lateral dynamics into energy- and range-prediction models and provides a validated scaled-testing approach for EV energy studies, while noting that steering-profile consistency can improve accuracy in future iterations.

Abstract

Most of the existing state-of-the-art approaches for energy consumption analysis do not account for the effect of lateral dynamics on energy consumption in electric vehicles (EVs) during vehicle maneuvers. This paper aims to validate this effect through an experimental study. We develop a scaled model using a radio-controlled (RC) car, modified to achieve dynamic similitude with on-road vehicles, to conduct scaled experiments. The experimental results confirm the impact of lateral dynamics on both energy demand and driving range in electric vehicles, aligning with our previous findings [1], and emphasize the need to incorporate these factors into energy consumption models. This is an extended version of a paper accepted at IEEE ITEC 2025. It includes additional results and analysis.

Figures (6)

• Figure 2: Schematic of different kinematic and dynamic variables associated with the bicycle model.
• Figure 3: Mass balance setup for CoG calibration.
• Figure 4: Bifilar suspension setup.
• Figure 5: Actual (blue) and scaled (red) drive cycle used for experimental study.
• Figure 6: Test track for experimentation.