Tire Particle Control with Comfort Bounds for Electric Vehicles

While it is widely known that electric vehicles will contribute very substantially to the reduction of exhaust emissions, it is less known that the impact of particulates, in particular from tires, will become larger, due to both the weight of these vehicles and the torque profile of electrical machines. In this paper, we use a recently developed tire emissions estimation method to develop a control approach that reduces these emissions. We show in a comprehensive simulation study using real driving data from German highways that the tire particle controller not only reduces tire emissions but at the same time allows to ensure ride comfort. These results illustrate that there is potentially a substantial environmental benefit to be expected especially depending on the presence, type and prediction of a preceding vehicle.