LAUSR

The development of full longitudinal simulations for vehicles, which are customizable and offer good results, can be time-consuming, whereas most software programs present to their users closed “black boxes” that fail to provide full control and understanding of their mechanisms and calculations. This article provides engineers and researchers with an open and customizable model. By starting from the vehicle’s equation of motion and utilizing MATLAB Simulink’s basic toolbox it was possible to build a direct-dynamic model that allows the user to tweak all the main longitudinal forces while also maintaining repeatability through a PID controlled auto-pilot. The graphics obtained from the simulator show that it is able to calculate the vehicle’s longitudinal forces, verify the driver’s inputs and test gear selection algorithms, becoming a powerful tool for future studies.