The Easy Turn (EZT) function is a dedicated feature for electric vehicles designed to enhance maneuverability in low-speed, large-steering-angle scenarios. The minimum turning radius of a vehicle is reduced by applying braking torque to the inner wheels and increasing drive motor torque. This paper conducts principle analysis, control strategy development, and simulation verification of EZT for single-motor rear-wheel-drive EVs. Two control strategies are proposed. Results indicate that the first strategy effectively reduces the minimum turning radius (by 0.20 m at 8 MPa, exhibiting an approximate linearity with braking pressure) without compromising the vehicle’s original acceleration or deceleration performance. Conversely, the second strategy yields a marginal increase in the turning radius when the front wheel angle exceeds the critical threshold defined in this study.
Shi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.