Nonlinear Vibration Characteristic Analysis of Electric Vehicle–Road Coupling System

In‐wheel motor drive is the developing direction of automobile electrification and intelligence. However, the increased unsprung mass in in‐wheel motor‐driven electric vehicles (IWMEVs) leads to higher dynamic tire loads, thereby intensifying vehicle–road coupling interactions. To address this problem, an 11‐degree‐of‐freedom nonlinear dynamic model of a vehicle–motor–road coupled system is developed, incorporating nonlinear suspension, tire stiffness, and road foundation. Using the Galerkin method and trigonometric product formulas, an analytical expression for the sandwich plate road model on a nonlinear viscoelastic foundation is obtained. The vehicle–motor–road coupled model is solved with a validated fixed‐step Runge–Kuta method to investigate the coupled effects of electromagnetic excitation, road irregularity, and road vibration. Results reveal that the amplitude–frequency characteristics of electromagnetic excitation are closely related to vehicle–road coupled vibrations. Multiple excitations adversely affect the IWMEV ride comfort. Furthermore, comparative analysis of linear and nonlinear models demonstrates the importance of the developed nonlinear vehicle–motor–road coupling model.