Hardware-in-the-loop simulation to evaluate the drive performance of the electric two-wheelers on a motor dynamometer

A hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) method for e-bikes driven by in-wheel brushless direct-current (BLDC) motors was implemented on a motor dynamometer using a powder brake. First, a coastdown test on a real road was conducted to acquire data for use in analyzing the correlation between the vehicle speed and the load on the road. Second, speed, voltage, and current data were acquired from an e-bike operating on a real road without braking and pedaling. To verify the applicability of the HILS method used in this study, a set of dynamic simulations on a motor dynamometer with real hardware were conducted to simulate a field driving test of an e-bike. The motor dynamometer simulated the road load through the powder brake, and the load of the dynamometer was controlled using a closed-loop proportional–integral (PI) controller. A comparison of the field test results and the HILS results indicate that the HILS method can adequately simulate the e-bike’s road load, including its running and inertial resistances.