Steeringless Drifting: Differential-Torque Control of a Four-Wheel Independently Driven Vehicle
This paper proposes a differential-torque drift control method for a steering-free four-wheel independently driven (4WID) vehicle. Using a double-track vehicle model and a closed-loop controller, experiments on a 1:10-scale vehicle demonstrate steady circular drifting with a sideslip angle of approximately 20° and figure-eight drift tracking, proving the feasibility of drift control using only differential wheel torques.
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[Submitted on 26 Jul 2026]
Title:Steeringless Drifting: Differential-Torque Control of a Four-Wheel Independently Driven Vehicle
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Abstract:Control methods for emerging vehicle chassis architectures are important for autonomous driving near handling limits. Unlike conventional drift control, which relies on mechanical steering and rear-tire saturation, a steering-free four-wheel independently driven (4WID) vehicle can generate direct yaw moment through differential wheel torques. This paper proposes a differential-torque drift control method for such a vehicle. A double-track vehicle model incorporating four-wheel differential actuation is established, based on which a drift-equilibrium calculation method and a closed-loop drift controller are developed. The proposed approach is validated through simulations and experiments on a 1:10-scale vehicle. The results show that the vehicle can achieve steady circular drifting with a sideslip angle of approximately 20$^\circ$ and perform figure-eight drift tracking. This study demonstrates the feasibility of drift control using only differential wheel torques and provides a new perspective on near-limit control for steering-free vehicle architectures.
Subjects:
Robotics (cs.RO)
Cite as: arXiv:2607.24863 [cs.RO]
(or arXiv:2607.24863v1 [cs.RO] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.24863
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Submission history
From: Sheng Zhao [view email] [v1] Sun, 26 Jul 2026 16:22:39 UTC (1,302 KB)
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