The dynamics analysis of the rear suspension system of the Fiat Panda III with electric motors mounted in wheels is presented in the paper. The simplified model of this system modeled using the multibody system dynamics method and the MSC. Adams package is proposed. In order to validate the proposed numerical model, the road tests were carried out consisting on passing the vehicle without motors in wheels at constant speed through the obstacle. The vertical displacement of the center of the vehicle wheel was measured during the tests. During the validation, parameters of the wheel-to-road contact, stiffness coefficients of springs and shock absorber damping coefficients of the suspension of the simulation model were modified so that the numerical results were consistent with the experiment. Further, such a tuned model was used to simulate the motion of suspension with the motors mounted into the wheels. The obtained results were validated, obtaining the accepted compatibility. In the following, a series of calculations was carried out in order to analyze the influence of stiffness coefficients of springs and shock absorber damping coefficients on the dynamic response of the suspension.

The influence of mounting motors in wheels’ hubs and flexibility of the twist beam rear suspension on their dynamics and strength is presented in the paper. The international roughness indicator (IRI) is applied to assess the overcoming of road unevenness. This indicator is a combination of a shape of the road unevenness and of overcoming velocity. The movement of a wheel’s axis during obstacles overcoming is described. For the needs of the dynamics analysis, the mathematical model of the rear suspension system with embedded motors is developed using the MSC.Adams-ANSYS interface. The discrete model of the twist beam is prepared in the ANSYS software, which is used in the next step to construct the dynamics model of the rear suspension system using the MSC.Adams program. The vertical components of displacement and acceleration of the wheel’s centre, forces in the suspension’s springs and dampers, as well as forces in the joints are analyzed. The analysis of the suspension beam’s stress during the road unevenness overcoming is also carried out.

Article introduces and discusses the sensors used in autonomous cars. The reliability of these devices is crucial for the proper operation of autonomous driving systems. The research works related to the issue of the performance of autonomous sensors in adverse weather conditions is discussed and critically analysed. The negative effects caused by bad weather conditions are characterised. The paper presents the result of author's own research concern on the effects of rain, snow and fog on lidar measurments. The results obtained are presented, detailing the most important threats from each weather phenomenon. Attempts currently being made to address these issues are presented as well. The paper concludes with a summary of the research results, the current state of knowledge and suggestions for future developments.

The article discusses the impact of design solutions of vehicle suspensions into angles of body roll. It was shown which type of suspensions is better from this point of view. There were examined the dependence of the suspensions parameters on the vehicle body roll angle. The influence of camber angle on the force transmitted to the tire contact with the road surface was analysed. The lateral forces were measured on the test stand. There was tested dependency of lateral forces from the sideslip angle for different angles of camber. Was analysed change of lateral forces generated by camber angle on the vehicle which was made on a scale ~ 1:5 during tests carried out on the testing track. For this purpose, two tests have been selected: first one allowing the measurement in steady motion conditions, the second one with dynamic change of direction of vehicle motion. The graphs show the effect of camber angles on the controllability and stability of the vehicle motion.

This paper presents a comparison of the characteristics of the tyres of a full-size vehicle with the tyres of a physical model scaled 1:5. This is a continuation of studies on the use of a scaled vehicle to test the stability of a vehicle. The results presented are based on analysis of a scaled vehicle and a full-size vehicle on a stand and during road tests. Tests were carried out involving manoeuvres based on the ISO standard. The effects of the differences in the construction of the tyres of the scaled vehicle and their impact on the tyre characteristics and its behaviour during testing were compared. This paper presents the results of a comparison of selected parameters of motion for a real vehicle and for a mobile scale model. These tests allowed a statement to be made about the suitability of the used tyres and the entire physical model for lateral stability analysis of a full-size vehicle.

Nowadays, the automotive market offers cars equipped with various types of drive systems, including a classic system in which the internal combustion engine burns fuel to power the vehicle, a hybrid system in which the internal combustion engine is supported by an electric machine (MHEV), and an electrical system in which energy to power the vehicle is drawn from the battery (BEV). Hybrid and electric vehicles have the ability to recover energy during deceleration and braking. Choosing a car with the right drive system is not easy for the average vehicle user. The article presents a comparison of vehicles with various drive systems. For this purpose, a diagnostic scanner was created that allows reading data from the car’s CAN network. The comparison of the obtained data allows for the presentation of more information about vehicles equipped with different drive systems. In particular, parameters such as energy consumption, the possibility of its recovery during braking and the instantaneous power of electric machines were subjected to comparative analysis. Vehicle tests were carried out on a chassis dynamometer in accordance with the WLTP test.