Comparison of traction properties of an N3 category vehicle with a conventional and electric drivetrain

The article presents traction properties of the drive systems installed in a DAF LF vehicle belonging to the N3 category. Based on technical data of the drive systems - based on a compression ignition engine (CI) and an electric motor. External characteristics containing the power and torque curves of the engines were developed, and on their basis, the traction characteristics of the vehicles were determined, showing graphs of movement resistance and driving force. Graphs of the obtained accelerations, dynamic indicators and vehicle acceleration simulations were also developed. The calculations considered the case in which the vehicle weight corresponds to the gross vehicle masst (GVM), which allowed to obtain results close to real conditions. Based on the comparison of the traction properties of both vehicles, it was observed that electric vehicles have much better dynamic parameters. These differences may be very important when moving in mountain conditions. The excessive propeling force in the system generated by the electric motor allows overcoming hills at a much higher speed, reducing the speed difference between trucks and passenger vehicles. It was found that increasing speed on mountainous roads can lead to significant road safety improvements. The simulation of vehicle acceleration allowed to determine the time after which the maximum vehicle speed was achieved.