Design and development of autonomous electric vehicles capable of following an EPA drive cycle on a dynamometer testbed and navigating an on-road obstacle course.

This dissertation presents the background, research and further advancement of the design and development of an autonomous electric vehicle that can follow an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drive cycle on a dynamometer testbed. Design, development, and test data collected, analyzed, presented, and referred to in this dissertation stems from an all-electric Chevy Bolt and an electric converted Chevy Tahoe. The work done on the Chevy Bolt enables the vehicle with the capability to autonomously follow an EPA drive cycle on a dynamometer and the work done on the Chevy Tahoe advances on the autonomous acceleration system, incorporating autonomous steering and sensory integration, enabling the vehicle to follow a path autonomously. The programmable throttle and the programmable brake research on the all-electric Bolt are discussed followed by the implementation of a programmable acceleration system, programmable steering, and the development of a sensory system on an all-electric converted Chevy Tahoe.