## 2 Materials and Methods
MAX_JITTER introduces a randomized delay before the transmission of control packets such as Route Requests or Hello messages, helping to prevent broadcast collisions in dense or dynamic networks. ACTIVE_ROUTE_TIMEOUT determines how long an unused route remains in the routing table before expiring, thereby affecting the freshness of route information and the frequency of route rediscovery processes [24]. HELLO_INTERVAL governs how frequently nodes send Hello messages to monitor link connectivity, directly impacting the protocol's ability to respond to topology changes caused by high mobility [25]. These parameters are consistently highlighted in the VANET literature as key factors influencing packet delivery, end-to-end delay, and overall protocol robustness. The design and modeling of the Configuration Model (CM) involve the integration of Taguchi and Differential Evolution optimization techniques with the AODV and GPSR protocols, which are implemented using the INET 3.5 framework within the OMNeT++ simulation environment. The proposed optimization-based models are evaluated through realistic VANET simulations in both highway and urban scenarios, utilizing a detailed Changlun City map to reflect real-world mobility patterns. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{113.8 pt} p{56.9 pt} p{56.9 pt} p{56.9 pt}} \hline \hline
**Parameter (x, y, z)\({}^{\text{k,n}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,1}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,2}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,3}}\)** \\ \hline MAX\_JITTER & 0.1 s & 0.5 s & 1.0 s \\ \hline ACTIVE\_ROUTE TIMEOUT & 20 s & 30 s & 40 s \\ \hline HELLO\_INTERVAL & 1 s & 10 s & 20 s \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: QOS-AODV Inner Parameter Levels: The table lists the selected inner parameters of the QoS-enhanced AODV routing protocol along with their corresponding levels. The parameters are used for performance optimization and experimental design in network simulations. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{113.8 pt} p{56.9 pt} p{56.9 pt} p{56.9 pt}} \hline \hline
**Parameter (x, y, z)\({}^{\text{k,n}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,1}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,2}}\)** & **Level \({}_{\text{k,3}}\)** \\ \hline MAX\_JITTER & 0.1 s & 0.5 s & 1.0 s \\ \hline NEIGHBOR\_VALIDITY\_INTERVA\& & 30 s & 40 s \\ \hline BEACON\_INTERVAL & 1 s & 10 s & 20 s \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: GPSR Inner Parameter Levels: The table displays the key configurable parameters of the GPSR (Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing) protocol along with their respective levels. The parameters are utilized for evaluating and optimizing protocol performance under varying network conditions. To evaluate the performance of the proposed routing protocol variants, the following key Quality of Service (QoS) metrics were used: Packet delivery ratio (PDR): PDR is defined as the ratio of the number of data packets successfully received by the destination nodes to the total number of packets generated by the source nodes. It reflects the reliability of the protocol in ensuring successful data delivery. End-to-End Delay: This metric measures the average time a data packet takes to travel from the source node to the destination node. It includes delays due to route discovery, queuing, transmission, and propagation. Lower delay values indicate better performance, especially for real-time and safety-critical applications. Throughput indicates the rate of successful data transmission over the network, which is typically expressed in bits per second (bps) or megabits per second (Mbps). It is a measure of the overall efficiency and capacity of the routing protocol under different traffic loads. The complete open-source code for both optimization algorithms, along with the simulation models for highway and city scenarios and the Changulun mobility setup, is provided in the Supplementary Materials attached to the revised manuscript.