Gearshift control with torque-fill for a 4-wheel-drive fully electric vehicle

This paper presents a novel gearshift controller to improve longitudinal acceleration and driver comfort of fully electric vehicles consisting of two drivetrains, one per each axle. In particular, a torque-fill controller is developed to provide seamless gearshifts on one axle by varying the torque on the other axle. The developed controller was experimentally tested on a prototype vehicle. Results are compared with acceleration performance of alternative fully electric vehicle configurations and demonstrate the benefit of enhanced ride comfort through a seamless gearshift.