Energy-efficient Control Strategy for an Electric Tricycle for Handicapped Persons under an Urban Drive Cycle

Electric tricycles provide an efficient mobility solution for handicapped and elderly individuals in urban environments. However, frequent acceleration and deceleration in city drive cycles lead to increased energy consumption and battery stress. In this work, an eco-predictive control strategy is proposed for improving the energy efficiency of an electric tricycle operating under an urban drive cycle. A detailed longitudinal vehicle model incorporating rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, gradient force, motor power dynamics and battery state of charge variation is developed. The proposed controller modifies the speed reference using a smoothing filter to reduce aggressive acceleration demand while maintaining acceptable tracking performance. Simulation results demonstrate approximately 3.97 % reduction in total energy consumption, 7.74 % reduction in peak power demand and improved final state of charge compared to a conventional PI controller. The proposed strategy enhances range and reduces battery stress without requiring additional hardware, making it suitable for low-cost assistive electric mobility systems.