Communications - Scientific letters of the University of Zilina X:X | DOI: 10.26552/com.C.2026.014

Proposal for the Electric Vehicle Drive Simulator Configuration - Case Study and Simulation Modelling

Ján Markovič, Pavol Špánik, Michal Frivaldský ORCID...^*

Department of Mechatronics and Electronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Zilina, Zilina, Slovakia

Road traffic remains a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, making innovative energy solutions essential. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer a promising alternative, however, current lithium-ion batteries face limitations in power output, energy density, and cost. To address these challenges, hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) combine batteries for energy storage with supercapacitors for rapid power delivery. In this study was explored an optimization tool for EV operation using HESS configurations and evaluates performance through MATLAB Simulink simulations across various driving cycles. The results highlight trade-offs between the performance, weight, and cost, which vary by vehicle class. While HESS improves energy efficiency and extends battery life, its complexity and expense limit feasibility for medium and high-class vehicles. Lower-class vehicles benefit most from this approach. Ultimately, tailored HESS designs adapted to specific driving conditions can enable more sustainable and efficient electric vehicles.

Keywords: electric drive, simulator, hybrid energy storage system, modeling

Grants and funding:

The authors would like to thanks to the Slovak national grant agency VEGA for project funding 1/0274/24.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Received: September 1, 2025; Accepted: December 4, 2025; Prepublished online: January 16, 2026