Saft ESS Model               Vehicle model           Ballard Motor                   Drag Model                Cyber Driver

The process presented here was originally developed during my master studies at McGill University. The process is demonstrated in great detail with the example of a student Formula Hybrid vehicle in my masters' thesis available here.


Note, it is now common to combine the race and powertain simulations in a real time seamless manner which vastly improves convergence of results and process cycle time. Software such as rFactorPro can be used to achieve this.

CAD Model                 Race Sim Model           Powertrain Model       Simulation Results

The details of the process easily understood from a description how each software is used.

  • The CAD software is needed to develop vehicle concepts and calculate parameters needed for both the race sim and powertrain models.
  • The auto-racing software is used to determine how fast a given configuration can complete a lap on a given race track or set of tracks. This produces the velocity versus time data needed for the powertrain model. Parameters such as SOC are not considered.
  • The powertrain simulation software is used to evaluate the capabilities of the powertrain configuration when asked to follow the velocity schedule of the race simulation.
  • The data analysis software is used to find values for key performance metrics and compare these results across the set configuration being evaluated.

Below is a set of images showing the internal structure of the powertrain model. Refer to the picture of the top level model above to see how they fit together.

Powertrain Analysis

Presented here is the work flow and results of a powertrain analysis for an electric race car.

The complete cycle of the powertain analysis involves 3 primary steps: 1) problem definition, 2) concept modeling, 3) simulation and analysis. Once a full cycle is completed, the steps can be revised as required depending on the results obtained. 


This process involved  driver-in-the-loop track simulation which added a 4th piece of software required to complete the process. The  4 pieces of software are:

  1. CAD software
  2. Auto-racing simulation software
  3. Powertrain simulation software
  4. Data analysis software

Typical powertrain investigations would not use auto-racing simulation software since the velocity schedule is usually given by a standard or custom drive cycle.