Modeling, simulation and performance evaluation of a low-speed battery electric vehicle

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered the solution for energy crisis and environment pollution in individual transportation. However, EVs are still not competitive with conventional vehicles, in terms of limitation on the driving range caused by current power battery technology. Therefore, energy efficiency is one of the most important factors for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) because they are highly dependent on the aforementioned limitations. Hence, low-speed BEVs, which are for urban transportation, can be considered a promising solution. Also, a model-based design of a real low-speed EV is presented. Given that there are no standard simulation models for these vehicle types, a novel modeling approach via Matlab/Simulink is presented and an experimental verification followed. Finally, an innovative optimization strategy is proposed through a comparative study between four basic battery types.