Nonlinear optimal and robust speed control for a light-weighted all-electric vehicle

Design of a nonlinear optimal and robust controller for a lightweight all-electric vehicle is presented. An electric vehicle driven by a DC motor is modelled. A controller is designed with differential-geometric approach and linear quadratic regulator techniques, to guarantee optimal performance. Then the uncertainties of the system are considered. A nonlinear robust controller that can tolerate multi-parametric uncertainties is designed. The model and controllers are implemented in Simulinkw environment and numerical simulations are performed. To compare the performance of the controllers, two regular PID controllers are designed. The performance of the designed controllers are compared with that of PID controllers and a driving cycle test is performed to test the control performance and energy consumption. The controller designed here demonstrates much better performance than that of regular PID controller under tests.