## 1 Introduction
Particularly, a double clutch enhances the power connection between a motor and powertrain during shifting [25; 26; 27]. Among the different transmission systems, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) system can increase the efficiency of a powertrain system significantly, as it can continuously change the speed ratio and allows the electric motor to operate around the most efficient regions [28; 29; 30; 31]. Therefore, a CVT system improves the overall performance and motor efficiency of an electric vehicle, whilst also helping to downsize the electric motor and other energy sources [32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38]. Another major layout for electric vehicles is an independent in-wheel motor with/without a planetary gear. This system offers some key advantages, one of which is greater vehicle control, owing to its all-wheel design, which can be controlled with high precision and speed. Another advantage is the increase in the internal volume of a vehicle due to the removal of the transmission system, which also prevents the power loss of transmission systems [39; 40]. Conversely, this type of electric motor increases the mass of the wheel group, thus increasing the unsprung mass, which in turn affects the vehicle drive. The increased mass of the wheel group reduces the fatigue strength of the elements in the suspension system [41]. Nevertheless, the aforementioned advantages of an in-wheel motor, such as regenerative electronic stability control (RESC), have opened up avenues for further exploration. To this end, research by [PERSON] et al. [42] proposed a strategy for managing the energy and directional stability of four in-wheel-driven electric vehicles. Another piece of research by [PERSON] et al. [43] modeled four in-wheel hub motors by examining factors such as the regenerative braking performance and its effect on energy recovery for the front and rear wheels. In the study, although the in-wheel motor was used as a generator, its performance in influencing the braking conditions and energy consumption rate need to be further examined based on its comparison with the other types of powertrain architecture. To date, no research has focused on drawing a comparison between the energy consumption performance of an HFCEV equipped with in-wheel-driven motors and that of an electrical motor utilizing CVT and other powertrain layouts based on RESC technology. In addition, a comprehensive comparison has not been performed using a downsized electrical motor. Thus, this study investigated the energy consumption rate and recovery performance of an autonomous HFCEV equipped with six different powertrain architectures: four independent in-wheel motors using RESC and without RESC, one-stage gear (1G) transmission, two-stage gear (2G) transmission, CVT, and a downsized electric motor utilizing CVT. In the mathematical model, the HFCEV was modeled, and simulations were performed for FTT75 and NEDC urban drive cycles. Additionally, the total energy consumption of the HFCEV with different powertrains was compared. The results demonstrate that the minimum energy consumption can be obtained with 2G transmission for the same motor. In this regard, a regenerative electronic stability control system can increase the energy recovery/ consumption rate of the HFCEV by at least 3%. Furthermore, the results illustrate that it is possible to reduce the size of the electric motor by using CVT, as the required maximum peak torque can be reduced. The simulations were repeated using a downsized electric motor, and the value for the best energy consumption was obtained owing to the light components of the system.