Drivetrain definition and performance evaluation for a newly designed light unmanned off-road delivery vehicle

A specific driving cycle was developed with a micro-trip segment construction method based on real road spectrum data, to support the power system selection for a new electric vehicle (EV) used in off-road delivery. A systematic simulation model in MATLAB/Simulink was built to validate the vehicle performance, especially for the energy consumption and EV range, in which key parameters of traction motors (TM) and battery were determined by theoretical calculations combined with the consideration of component availability. For TM, the peak power was 12 kW, and the rated torque was 30 Nm, and the battery capacity was 40 Ah on a 72 V platform. Simulation results showed that the maximum deviation between the target speeds and the real-time values was <2%, indicating a good dynamic response and followability. In addition, the maximum gradeability with full load was 40%, the top speed reached 30 km/h, and the acceleration time was 3.46 s from 0 to 20 km/h. With a specific driving cycle, the EV range was 33.48 km, and the comprehensive energy consumption was 5.5 kWh/100 km. The results met the requirements for the off-road delivery application. The method used in this study can support the performance assessment and drivetrain definition of the conceptual product and could be a reliable technical solution for customized development, demonstrating significant engineering value.