Electric Vehicle Packaging Tool (EVPT), validation and application

The eMobility-Lab development Electric Vehicle Packaging Tool (EVPT) supports design and approval of Electric Vehicles. By replacing the existing drive line with an electric drive line the vehicle mass, the moment of inertia and the position of the centre of gravity may change. This may affect the steady-state and dynamic vehicle handling. The EVPT calculates the battery mass from vehicle performance parameters and subsequently the effect on vehicle handling. Furthermore, it also calculates the necessary changes in vehicle set up to recover the original vehicle handling. The EVPT can be applied in the development process; especially in the concept stage where decisions have to be made with respect to quality, costs and development time. The EVPT is developed as a calculation and simulation package and is also available as a set of look up tables, in which case no simulation environment is necessary. The development as presented on the EEVC 2012 continues in this paper with the validation and application of the EVPT. It is concluded that the EVPT shows a good qualitative and quantitative representation of vehicle handling in practise. The EVPT has been used in an ICE to EV conversion project and has shown its usability in making design choices. Furthermore the paper describes the added value of the EVPT to other software packages: a robust easy to use tool with a specific focus on (electric) vehicle packaging evaluation. The EVPT is developed in the eMobility-lab research program of the Rotterdam University of Applied Science. The eMobility-lab investigates electric mobility concepts operating in the Rotterdam area, contributing to a sustainable, safe and economic solution for clean transportation.