STEP- Sustainable Transport Electric Propulsion

Research Project, 2020 – 2021

The project will develop methods for re-configurable motion and propulsion power control for multi-unit combination vehicles with arbitrary axle/axle group configurations. The re-configurability is an enabler for using the best vehicle for each transport mission. Different methods to balance energy savings and vehicle motion will be developed. In particular, control allocation will be tested and evaluated with different virtual controls. Control allocation is a way to distribute control actions to each individual actuator and has been shown in a number of MSc thesis to be a viable solution.
 
The main research question that the project addresses is: How should controllers be designed for multi-unit vehicles for offering a good trade-off between maneuverability, stability and energy consumption?
 
The intended users are developers of trucks and trailers, while the end users are the transport operators.