Experimental Testing for the Validation of a Multi-body Dynamics Model for a Novel Electric Bus

Motivated by net-zero emission policies, Canadian bus manufacturers are working on the development of fully electric buses. The light-weighting of these new designs needs to be optimized while meeting the structural durability requirements imposed by regulatory bodies. Complex multi-body dynamic and integrated finite element models are being developed by Canadian bus manufacturer Letenda Inc. to optimize the design and minimize the risk of structural failure during durability testing. Initial proving ground testing has been conducted on a durability test track in addition to steady-state and dynamic testing on a skid pad. The purpose of these tests is to provide test sequences to experimentally validate models through correlation of vehicle response data to known inputs. This paper discusses the initial results of the steady-state tests and indicates how they will be used to validate the model and to characterize the handling behavior of the vehicle. Once the model is fully validated in terms of its dynamic response to steady-state testing, another validation effort will be performed on dynamic testing, followed by validation of the flexible frame body stress model.