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Smart EV Powertrain Simulator

Installation Guide

1. Introduction

This document explains how to install, configure and prepare the Smart EV Powertrain Simulator for use.

The project is developed using MATLAB and Simulink and contains MATLAB calculation scripts, Simulink models, project configuration files, drive-cycle data, generated results and technical documentation.

The installation process consists of:

  1. Obtaining the project
  2. Installing and verifying MATLAB and Simulink
  3. Opening the MATLAB project
  4. Initialising the project
  5. Verifying the project structure
  6. Running the MATLAB calculation modules
  7. Generating the required calculation data
  8. Opening the main Simulink model
  9. Running the simulation
  10. Opening the dashboard
  11. Reviewing the generated results

2. System Requirements

2.1 Hardware Requirements

The project is a MATLAB/Simulink simulation and does not require specialised EV hardware.

A computer with the following is recommended:

Component Recommended
Processor Modern multi-core CPU
RAM 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
Storage At least 5 GB free space
Display 1920 × 1080 or higher recommended
Operating System Windows / macOS / Linux supported by MATLAB

Actual simulation performance depends on the MATLAB release, model complexity and computer hardware.

3. Software Requirements

The project requires:

Software Purpose
MATLAB Engineering calculations and data processing
Simulink Dynamic system simulation
MATLAB Project Project organisation and path management
Git Version control
GitHub Remote repository hosting

The project should preferably be opened using the MATLAB project file:

Smart-EV-Powertrain-Simulator.prj

No additional MATLAB toolboxes beyond base MATLAB and Simulink are required to run the calculation scripts and models as delivered.

4. Obtaining the Project

4.1 Clone with Git (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/devsurya2004/Smart-EV-Powertrain-Simulator.git
cd Smart-EV-Powertrain-Simulator

4.2 Or Download as a ZIP

If Git isn't available, download the repository as a ZIP archive from GitHub and extract it to a folder of your choice.

5. Opening the MATLAB Project

Open MATLAB, navigate to the extracted project folder, and open:

Smart-EV-Powertrain-Simulator.prj

Opening the .prj file (rather than individual scripts) is recommended because the MATLAB Project automatically manages the folders on the MATLAB path for this project.

6. Initialising the Project

Every calculation script begins by calling:

[EV, scriptFolder, projectRoot] = Initialize_Project();

Initialize_Project.m (in Scripts/) performs the following on each call:

  1. Clears the command window (in desktop MATLAB)
  2. Resolves the project root and Scripts folder paths
  3. Verifies that the Scripts, Models and Documentation folders exist
  4. Creates the Data and Results output folders if they're missing
  5. Runs Project_Parameters.m to load every project setting into the EV structure
  6. Exports EV, projectRoot and scriptFolder to the MATLAB base workspace

You don't need to call it directly — every script in Scripts/ does this automatically as its first line.

7. Verifying the Project Structure

After opening the project, confirm the following folders are present at the project root:

Data/  Documentation/  DriveCycles/  Images/  Models/  Results/  Scripts/

Data/ and Results/ are created automatically by Initialize_Project.m on first run if they don't already exist, so it's normal for Data/ to be empty before you've run any calculation scripts.

8. Running the MATLAB Calculation Modules

The simplest way to run every calculation module in the correct order is:

Run_Project

This runs, in sequence: Battery → Motor → Transmission → Inverter → Vehicle → Vehicle Dynamics → Drive Cycle → Regenerative Braking → Performance Summary, printing a design report for each stage and reporting total execution time.

Alternatively, run individual scripts directly from Scripts/ (for example, just Battery to re-check the pack sizing) — each script can be run on its own as long as any Data/*.mat files it loads from upstream modules already exist.

9. Generating the Required Calculation Data

Running the scripts in step 8 populates Data/ with one .mat file per module (Battery_Calculations.mat, Motor_Calculations.mat, Inverter_Calculations.mat, Transmission_Calculations.mat, Vehicle_Calculations.mat, Vehicle_Dynamics.mat, Drive_Cycle.mat, Regenerative_Braking.mat) and one plot set per module inside Results/. The Simulink model reads several of these EV.* values from the base workspace, so the calculation scripts should be run at least once per MATLAB session before simulating.

10. Opening the Main Simulink Model and Dashboard

With the calculated EV structure in the base workspace, open:

Models/Smart_EV_Powertrain.slx

and press Run ▶️ to simulate the closed-loop powertrain. Then open:

Models/Smart_EV_Powertrain_Dashboard.slx

for a consolidated, gauge-style view of vehicle, battery and motor variables during the same simulation.

See the User Manual for a walkthrough of what happens at each stage and how to read the results.

11. Reviewing the Generated Results

Generated plots are saved automatically to Results/<Module>/ as .png files at each script run, and can be browsed directly or referenced from the Documentation pages, which embed the current set of results inline.

12. Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely Cause Fix
Project_Parameters.m not found error Scripts run without opening the .prj first Open Smart-EV-Powertrain-Simulator.prj, or run scripts from inside Scripts/
Required project folder not found error Project extracted with a missing subfolder, or scripts run from the wrong directory Re-extract/re-clone the repository and open the .prj from its root
A script errors loading a Data/*.mat file An upstream module hasn't been run yet in this session Run Run_Project to execute every module in the correct order
Simulink model uses stale/default values EV in the base workspace is from an old run or was cleared Re-run Run_Project (or the relevant scripts) before running the simulation

Related Documentation

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