Electric Machine Design Trade-offs for EV Powertrains Explored in White Paper from Motor Design Ltd

Designing an electric motor requires a comprehensive understanding of the impacts that different technologies can have on motor mass, performance and cost — ideally at an early stage in the design process when design choices are still open and the cost of change is low. 

“Performance Analysis of Electric Motor Technologies for an Electric Vehicle Powertrain”, is a white paper from Motor Design Ltd, the developer of Motor-CAD multiphysics design software, that discusses how different design choices such as motor topology, winding type and cooling system can be compared and evaluated with the overall system impact in mind. 

The first section of the paper looks at a comparison between an interior permanent magnet, induction and wound field synchronous motor design in an EV application. The second part of the paper takes the permanent magnet machine design and considers the trade-off between hairpin and stranded winding technologies. Finally, three different cooling types are compared: water jacket cooling, oil spray cooling, and combined water jacket and air cooling. 

The paper explains how different motor types compare in terms of mass, cost, continuous performance, efficiency and energy usage over typical drive cycles, and how simulation tools can be used to quickly and easily explore trade-offs in design decisions. 

To access the paper, go to: https://www.motor-design.com/white-paper-ev-trade-off-analysis/ 

Based in Wrexham, UK, Motor Design Ltd has been developing electric motor design software since 1998, providing software tools and design consultancy support to electric machine designers at some of the most prestigious aerospace, automotive and industrial companies worldwide. 

For more info, see www.motor-design.com