132 Int. J. Powertrains, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, 2013 Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Evaluation of the potential of active powertrain, braking and steering systems based on in-wheel motors to improve the effectiveness of an evasive manoeuvre assistant Cornelia Lex* and Andrés Eduardo Rojas Rojas Institute of Automotive Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 11, 8010 Graz, Austria E-mail: cornelia.lex@tugraz.at E-mail: andres.rojasrojas@tugraz.at *Corresponding author Haymo Niederkofler Logic Data Electronic and Software, Entwicklungs GmbH R&D Mechatronic, Wirtschaftspark 18, 8530 Deutschlandsberg, Austria E-mail: haymo.niederkofler@logicdata.at Arno Eichberger Institute of Automotive Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 11, 8010 Graz, Austria E-mail: arno.eichberger@tugraz.at Abstract: When different vehicle dynamic control systems are integrated into an overall concept, the potential to influence the vehicle dynamics rises, thus increasing the potential of performance in safety-critical driving situations. The potential of active steering, powertrain and braking systems and their combinations is investigated systematically in order to increase the efficiency of an evasive manoeuvre assistant. Different powertrain topologies are taken into account. A vehicle dynamics control is presented that determines the actuator control signals for different actuator configurations. An algorithm to evaluate the maximum coefficient of friction serves as the basis to decide on how the actuator signals are distributed to the individual wheels. This study supports selecting promising concepts in the broad variety of possible combinations of available systems. Keywords: evasive manoeuvre assistant; EMA; active powertrain systems; vehicle dynamics controls; optimal force allocation; collision avoidance; trajectory planning; collision detection; active intervention; advanced driver assistance systems; ADASs; effectiveness of advanced driver assistance systems; torque vectoring system; in-wheel motors.