Steering control for path tracking in autonomous vehicles is well documented in the literature. Also, continuous direct yaw moment control, i.e., torque-vectoring, applied to human-driven electric vehicles with multiple motors is extensively researched. However, the combination of both controllers is not yet well understood. This paper analyzes the benefits of torquevectoring in an autonomous electric vehicle, either by integrating the torque-vectoring system in the path tracking controller, or through its separate implementation alongside the steering controller for path tracking. A selection of path tracking controllers is compared in obstacle avoidance tests simulated with an experimentally validated vehicle dynamics model. A genetic optimization is used to select the controller parameters. Simulation results confirm that torque-vectoring is beneficial to autonomous vehicle response. The integrated controllers achieve the best performance if they are tuned for the specific tire-road friction condition. However, they can also cause unstable behavior when they operate in lower friction conditions without any retuning. On the other hand, separate torque-vectoring implementations provide consistently stable cornering response for a wide range of friction conditions. Controllers with preview formulations, or based on appropriate reference paths with respect to the middle line of the available lane, are beneficial to the path tracking performance.

Electric vehicles with independently controlled drivetrains allow torque vectoring, which enhances active safety and handling qualities. This article proposes an approach for the concurrent control of yaw rate and sideslip angle based on a single-input single-output (SISO) yaw rate controller. With the SISO formulation, the reference yaw rate is first defined according to the vehicle handling requirements and is then corrected based on the actual sideslip angle. The sideslip angle contribution guarantees a prompt corrective action in critical situations such as incipient vehicle oversteer during limit cornering in low tire-road friction conditions. A design methodology in the frequency domain is discussed, including stability analysis based on the theory of switched linear systems. The performance of the control structure is assessed via: 1) phase-plane plots obtained with a nonlinear vehicle model; 2) simulations with an experimentally validated model, including multiple feedback control structures; and 3) experimental tests on an electric vehicle demonstrator along step steer maneuvers with purposely induced and controlled vehicle drift. Results show that the SISO controller allows constraining the sideslip angle within the predetermined thresholds and yields tire-road friction adaptation with all the considered feedback controllers. Index Terms-Controlled drift, electric vehicle, experimental tests, sideslip angle control, tire-road friction coefficient, torque vectoring (TV), yaw rate control. NOMENCLATURE a Front semiwheelbase. a x Longitudinal acceleration. a y Lateral acceleration. A, B, C State-space matrices of the plant. A i , B i , C i , D i State-space matrices of the plants considered in the stability analysis (i = 1, 2, 3). A s , B s , C s State-space matrices of the shaped plant.

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In vehicle dynamics, yaw rate control is used to improve the cornering response in steady-state and transient conditions. This can be achieved through an appropriate anti-roll moment distribution between the front and rear axles of a vehicle with controllable suspension actuators. Such control action alters the load transfer distribution, which in turn provokes a lateral tire force variation. With respect to the extensive set of papers from the literature discussing yaw rate tracking through active suspension control, this study presents: i) A detailed analysis of the effect of the load transfer on the lateral axle force and cornering stiffness; ii) A novel linearized single-track vehicle model formulation for control system design, based on the results in i); and iii) An optimizationbased routine for the design of the non-linear feedforward contribution of the control action. The resulting feedforward-feedback controller is assessed through: a) Simulations with an experimentally validated model of a vehicle with active anti-roll bars (case study 1); and b) Experimental tests on a vehicle prototype with an active suspension system (case study 2).

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