A dynamic model of Nimbell Trigo

Abstract: The performance of an electric utility vehicle is very dependent on how it is used. The range can decrease significantly if there are many uphill along the route and if the vehicle carry a heavy load. The most important is that the vehicle never stops because lack of energy or power. The purpose of this thesis was to study how performance of the electric utility vehicle Nimbell Trigo were affected, depending on route, drive pattern and load. To study the performance, the parameters: battery current, state of charge and speed were analyzed. To analyze these parameters, a dynamic model of the vehicle has been created with Simulink. The model is based on physical relations and vehicle data. With the specifications for the vehicle and the force acting on it, energy consumption, battery current and power demand have been calculated with the Simulink model for specific routes and drive patterns. To validate the mode, three different routes were driven with Nimbell Trigo in Gothenburg and a simulation of the same routes and drive patterns were made with the Simulink model. The result from the validation shows that the dynamic model can predict the parameters of interest well, particularly the state of charge. The Simulink model can in the future be a time and cost efficient way, to analyze the performance of Nimbell Trigo and thereby replace test drives in an initial phase.