Abstract
This paper proposes a traction control system with the application of optimal control theory for small scale electric vehicle with in-wheel motor structure. In this paper, the controller is designed with the objective to follow the desired relative velocity between the wheel and the vehicle body, instead of using slip ratio as in the conventional method. In addition, the disturbance observer is included in the system to cancel the influence of torque disturbance from the road, for improving the stability of wheel spin. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed controller is verified by computer simulations and experiments on small-scale electric vehicle. The proposed traction control system shows satisfactory effectiveness in wheel spin stabilization in a sudden change in tire-road friction condition and µ-split condition.