Tomorrow’s Mobility

Sustainable Technologies for the automotive sector

Week 2 – Session 2 – Electric drives for electric

vehicles

Guillermo Ballesteros

Introduction

I- Electric drivetrain - overview

II- Electric drivetrain - components

Conclusion

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Introduction
This lesson will show what an electric drive, the crucial element for realizing Electric Vehicles with
their high efficiency potential, basically is, and of which components it consists.

I- Electric drivetrain - overview

An electric drive provides mechanical power. It can also recover vehicle kinetic energy by producing
electricity during braking. Then, this electrical energy is stored in a battery pack.
Electric drivetrain…

Produces electricity by recovering

… provides mechanical power
vehicle’s kinetic energy

Power Power
Control Control
Unit Unit

Gear box Gear box

Battery Power Battery Power

Pack Electronics Electric Machine Pack Electronics Electric Machine

An electric drive is a system composed of four devices:

 An Electric Machine with a fixed gear box ratio
 A Power Electronics Converter
 A Source of electrical energy like a battery pack
 An Electric Drive Control System
Electric drive components and
functionalities

Electric Drive

Power
Control
Unit

Power
Battery Electronics
Pack Device Electric Machine Gear box

Week 2 – Session 2 – Electric drives for electric vehicles, p. 1

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II- Electric drivetrain - components
The Electric Machine:
First of all, an electric machine is necessary to provide torque to the wheels. It is also able to supply
electric power to the battery during recovery braking. It is based on magnetic phenomena. The
interaction between the magnetic field of the rotor and the stator create the machine’s torque.
The magnetic torque can provide mechanical power to move, or absorb mechanical power to
produce electricity. All electric machines can do this energy conversion and are reversible. In other
words, an electric machine can be a motor or a generator.
This is a very interesting property. In comparison, internal combustion engines can only provide
mechanical power or dissipate mechanical power during engine braking. With kinetic energy
recuperation, electric machines improve the efficiency of the vehicle.
To produce or absorb mechanical power, it is necessary to produce and control the magnetic fields.
A magnetic field is created by an electric current circulation through the machine windings. So,
controlling the electric machine torque means controlling its current. To do that, a power electronic
device and an electric machine management system are necessary.

Power Electronics:
To control the electric current of an electric machine it is necessary to use power electronic
converters. They can manage the flow of electrical energy and are able transform it.
The battery pack of an electric vehicle provides only a continuous current or direct current. DC-DC
converters, called “choppers”, are used with continuous current machines and DC-AC converters,
called “inverters”, are used with alternative current machines.
Converters can control the amplitude of the current, its flow direction, its waveform, its frequency
and its phase for alternative current. Consequently, they can control the torque of electric
machines.
All these converters are reversible. That means, during braking, the energy coming from the electric
machine is transformed in continuous electrical energy flowing to the battery.
To be efficient, the current flowing to the machine must be managed by a drive management
system.

Drive Control System or Drive Management System:

To manage the torque and the efficiency of the machine, the magnetic fields must have a precise
position and value relative to the rotor position. To do this, it is necessary to use an electric drive
management system composed of a set of sensors: position, speed or current, micro-controller,
etc.. A management software is needed as well, and calibrations adapted to the electric drive
system characteristics.

The electrical energy flowing through the power electronics and the electric machine comes from
an electric storage system composed of a battery pack.

Battery Pack:
The battery pack is composed of cells, and modules of cells, connected together in series to
increase the voltage of the battery pack. When they are connected in parallel, it increases the
energy capacity to extend the range of the vehicle.

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The voltage of the battery pack must be compatible with the nominal voltage values of the electric
machine and of the power electronic converter. Common range values for battery electric vehicles
are between 200 volts and 400 volts.
Today, the autonomy of new battery electric vehicles is mainly around 400 km. The range is directly
proportional to the battery pack capacity, size, volume, weight and cost.
The most common chemicals used for BEV are Lithium based electro-chemicals.
As all EVs are plug-in systems, a plug-in charger must be added to charge the battery pack.

Conclusion
To conclude, the following facts are important:
 For electric vehicles, an electric drive is a complex system composed of many components:
an electric machine, a power electronic device, a battery pack and a management system.
 It is impossible to use an electric machine without all these other devices. An electric
machine alone is inert or unusable. That is why the main component of an electric vehicle is
not the electric machine, but the electric drive.

Note that there is an optional video available explaining the fundamentals of electricity, for some
base knowledge on the subject.

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