At the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen we have dealt with the design and construction of electric prototype race cars for more than a decade. With a focus on more conscious design and racing we developed a vehicle dynamics simulation program, which can be used to generate the dynamics functions of the cars from their technical characteristics and data. In this publication, we deal with the optimization of the technical parameters of the above-mentioned cars for various competition tasks using our simulation program. This is a completely new field of application of the used optimization methods. This concept and idea can effectively help student teams all over the world to prepare for various domestic and international competitions. One of the applied methods is a graphic procedure, the other one is the widely used “adaptive simulated annealing” (ASA). After a brief description of the simulation program, the applied optimization methods and developed MATLAB codes for them are described. Finally, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods, we optimize the parameters of a prototype race car for different competition tasks and present the obtained results.

We have introduced a novel approach to competency-based education in mechatronics from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level. What distinguishes this approach is the integration of modeling and control of sampled systems right from the beginning of the undergraduate education. It is achieved by changing the structure of the first-semester Calculus course to focus on discrete-time systems: emphasizing numerical differentiation and integration and difference equations. The curriculum is enriched by interdisciplinary homework project assignments that, given in subsequent courses throughout the education, are tied to the same quarter-vehicle model but vary in theoretical complexity. It demonstrates multiple dimensions of the same engineering problem, leading to a deeper understanding. Based on the discrete-time modeling studied in Calculus, students can solve the problem at a basic level and verify the results with measurements. Later, they can compare these solutions with those obtained using more advanced tools. This approach creates a synergy between different subjects ranging from the basics to the advanced control theory. This article focuses primarily on the mathematical toolkit that facilitates the achievement of our didactic goals.

The defining scientific developments of our time would not have been possible without the use of simulations. The aim of the research is to create a simulation of a BLDC motor. When creating a simulation, great emphasis must be placed on defining the purpose of the simulation. This basically determines the structure and complexity of the model. The model discussed here was created so that an optimization task could be defined more precisely by inserting it as a sub-model into a vehicle dynamics model. Scalability was another aspect, that is, to be able to increase the accuracy of the model with measured data in the future, as well as to be able to validate it. During the research, a BLDC motor efficiency map generation program was created, as well as an environment for testing the generated data. The created system gives researchers the opportunity to use a shape-correct efficiency model when simulating a BLDC motor even without measured data. This makes it possible to discover real relationships between model parameters when performing optimization.

The following article presents the longitudinal modeling and simulation of a generic electric vehicle. The purpose of the research is to describe the applied modeling procedures and their MATLAB solutions. Furthermore, the goal is to demonstrate how to build a framework for a MATLAB R2024b Simulink and Simscape model that facilitates future optimization and ensures modularity, thereby facilitating collaboration among different research groups. After presenting the applied vehicle dynamics model and the created framework, some additional application examples are presented for which the method has already been tested.