Motion control and power coordination of electric propulsion and braking distributed on multiple axles on heavy vehicles

Instantaneous allocation of power in a distributed electric powertrain reduces losses by selective usage of actuators. Such an allocation also poses a challenge of coordinating power among actuators optimally. This study explores three different approaches of motion control and power coordination of electric machines and service brakes, using an instantaneous power allocation. These approaches based on control allocation framework, are further evaluated and compared for a given use case using simulations. The distinctive strength of the power loss minimisation approach, by using regressed data of power losses from electric machine models instantaneously, is highlighted. Additionally, it is also shown that the power loss minimisation approach resulted in the lowest energy loss in actuator power losses compared to the other approaches.