Validation of a Virtual Reality Environment for Electric Vehicle Energy Consumption Analysis

Growing concerns about CO2 emissions and global warming are leading the electrification of the transportation sector through adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). In recent years, battery and EV technologies have made significant progress, contributing to remarkable market growth. However, limited range remains a barrier to a wider adoption. This paper presents the development of a driving simulator for EVs designed to study and optimize the factors that affect energy consumption and thus range, independently of vehicular technology. The simulator combines hardware and software components to replicate a real EV and a real-world driving scenario. The results demonstrate that the simulator is capable to reproduce reality with acceptable uncertainty, providing a valuable tool for research and development of efficient driving strategies.