Driver-in-the-Loop Simulation to Assess Steering Torque Feeling due to Torque Vectoring Control

Torque vectoring is widely known for its capability in improving vehicle handling and stability. The advent of electric vehicles is also making its implementation easier thanks to the possibility of having distributed powertrains. Nevertheless, the application of torque vectoring at the front axle generates a torque to the steering wheel because of the unbalance between longitudinal forces at front tires. This can make the vehicle tricky to control for the driver. The aim of this paper is thus to investigate the steer feeling through the use of a dynamic driving simulator when torque vectoring is applied with different front-to-rear axle distribution. Moreover, a technique to mitigate this phenomenon is proposed and its effectiveness evaluated through Driver-in-the-Loop simulations.