DC, induction, reluctance and P M

motors for electric vehicles

Electric vehicle production is expected to increase dramatically over the next
10 years. DC motors are used exclusively at present but the change to AC
brings advantages in weight and efficiency providing improved range.
Because it is readily available, the induction motor is being used for the next
generation of electric vehicles but the brushless DC motor has the lightest
weight and highest efficiency and is expected to be used within the next 10
years. The switched reluctance motor also has merits for special applications
and is the 'dark horse' in this race.

by John G.W. West

Electric city cars and vans the main impetus t o the use of electric cars of
Small cars for commuting, shopping etc. this type.
usually travel only short distances each day, There is also considerable activity in electric ~ l e ~ ~ ~ ~ $ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ s e r i e s
typically less than 30 miles, mainly through vans for delivery or other services in city areas hybrid (b)Parallel
slow-moving traffic, maximum 50 mph, not unlike the electric milk floats in the UK, hybrid; (c) Solit hybrid;
average 10-20 mph, carrying only one or t w o but with much better performance t o keep (&WGolfparaliel
people. These are a good application for up with city traffic. hybrid with flywheel
present technology electric vehicles (EVs), i.e. Electric propulsion has been used for many ~ ~ ~ $ ~ ~ n ~ $ ~ n
DC motors and lead-acid batteries, and many years for fork lift trucks, golf carts and airport courtesy Volkswagen
electric conversions have been made as well services where electric shuttle buses are now AGI
as some completely new lightweight vehicles.
Assuming equivalent performance, these
small electric cars cost around twice the price
of an internal combustion engine (ICE) micro
car, so there has t o be some added reason for
purchase. Lower performance and tax
incentives can make 'prices' about the same.
Switzerland has already restricted access of
ICE vehicles in some cities, so there is a
growing market for small electric cars. Other

iw
European cities in Greece, Italy, Germany and
France are talking about mandating the use
of electric vehicles mainly for atmospheric
pollution reasons but also t o reduce noise. In
the UK, Coventry is planning a fleet of electric
cars. a b
Some commuters travel longer distances
from country homes or because of job
changes, up t o 40 miles each way, need
higher speeds on motorways t o keep up with
other traffic and a larger car t o 'feel' safe.
Present technology is still possible under
these conditions provided that top-up
charging is available at the workplace, but
ideally an improved battery is required
coupled with an AC drive motor t o minimise
weight, maximise efficiency and improve
reliability.
The problem of smog in Los Angeles has
resulted in legislation in Southern California
requiring the sale of 'zero emission vehicles'
asynchronous motor/
which means electric vehicles in practice. generator
Each manufacturer must sell a percentage of d
electric vehicles, commencing with 2% in
1998 rising t o 10% by 2003. This idea is
spreading t o other States in the USA and is
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994 77
 European City Car
Fiat 500 Elettra (in production)
performance : 0-25 mph in 10 s
: 50 mph max speed
Range : 44miles
Drive : 9.2 kW DC series motor
: 5-speed gearbox

Los Angeles Car

GM Impact (production 1996/97?)
Performance : 0-60 mph in 8 s
: 75 mph max by speed
limiter
Range : 120miles
Drive : Two 43 kW air-cooled
induction motors driving
front wheels via fixed
10.5:l planetary gears or
single 75kW water-cooled
induction motor driving
via spur gears and
differential.

City van
2 Hybrid electric taxi being considered, as they allow boost Chrysler/EPRITEVan (in limited production
from IAD [Photo: charging between journeys. City buses being
courtesy International Performance: 0-30 mph in 9 s
Automotive in semi-continuous use make boost charging : 70mphmax
difficult - but battery exchange is under Range : 120miles
consideration. Drive : 52 kW (rnax) DC motor
The following data compares three driving through 2-speed
examples of electric vehicles for use in cities: transaxle

_ -
a
pafk mechanism r e d m dnve motor stator
,g””” i dnvenmtorrotor drive mtor

electricvan. An ien8or
induction motor drives
the front wheels [Photo:
courtesy Ford Motor \‘
Company1

36 Induction motor b
for Ford Ecostar van
78 POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
NB. The range data is for a constant speed.
Urban driving and the use of auxiliary electric
loads will reduce these figures by u p t o 30%.

Hybrid electric vehicles

The present lack of adequate range makes
hybrid operation necessary until such time as
the long-awaited 'breakthrough' in battery
technology occurs. The t w o basic types of
hybrid can be summarised as follows (see Fig.
1):

(a) Series hybrids where all the ICE power is

converted into electrical energy which a c
powers the propulsion motor and
charges the battery.
(6) Parallel hybrids where the ICE power is
coupled mechanically t o the vehicle
drive wheels as well as t o the electric
propulsion motor which also doubles as
a generator during periods of braking
and to charge the battery from engine
power when required.

The parallel hybrid is preferred if a low-

efficiency electrical system is adopted as
engine power is transmitted directed t o the
drive wheels without incurring electrical
losses.
Hybrid operation can be used with petrol
or diesel engines or with gas turbines. The
last named would suit the series hybrid best
where the turbine would operate
continuously at close t o full power with Taxis, vans a n d buses 4 Types of motor: (a)
resulting high efficiency. Emissions can also IAD Eurotaxi Series hybrid -prototype
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ &
be significantly lower. The use of a high- 50 kW induction motor induction; (c) Switched
speed generator (50 000-1 00 000 rpm) Diesel engine driving 25 kW generator reluctance;(d)PM
allows a direct drive, avoiding the losses in a 45 kWh sodium sulphur batt&yallows brushless DC
reduction gear and reducing the active 100 mile range as pure EV
weight of the generator. There are many Performance 0-30 mph in 9 s
examples o f hybrid vehicles: Unlimited range when using diesel
generator (see Fig. 2)
Cars 0 lveco Daily Bus (25 seat) Series hybrid
0 GM H X 3 5-seater all-purposevehicle- 100 were t o be built in 1992
prototype 22/45 k W DC motor
Two 43 kW induction motors 997cc petrol engine driving 9kW
Petrol-driven 20/40 kW generator generator
0 Peugeot 405 Series hybrid car - 0 ConceDtor (Canada) XREV G-Van Series
production in 1996 hybrid - prototype 5 Torque ripple of
Two 20 kW Leroy Somer DC motors Nelco 45 kW DC motor switched reluctance
Diesel-driven generator motors
0 Audi Duo split parallel hybrid with
independent ICE and electric drives
(NB: The engine cannot charge the
battery except via the road wheels) (see A
Fig. IC).
ripple
Siemens AC PM 31/36 kW motor
0 Volkswagen Golf Parallel hybrid. Fleet test
o f 20 cars commenced in Zurich in t
1991.
A 7kW induction motor-generator is I three-phase

incorporated i.nto the engine flywheel

ripple
which can bcisolated from the engine I t
by an additional clutch (Fig. Id) (a
similar arrangement is also used in the
VW Chico hybrid car)
Clean Air Transport LA301 parallel hybrid. %i+ four-phase
Production 1997?
Nelco 34kW DC motor (an AC drive
may eventually be used).
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994 79

6 Two-polerdorsfor lveco Citybus (100 passengers) Series
brushless DC or
synchronous motors: hybrid - prototype
(a) Surface magnets; 120/151 kW induction motor
(b) Embedded magnets; 2 litrediesel engine driving 35kW
(c) Buried magnet wound-field alternator
, A Ne,co 45kw DC
motor alongside a Nelco
0 Magnetmotor (Germany) Series hybrid
Citybus
brushless DC motor of 2 in service in Munich
the same power output 160 kW PM brushless DC motor
[Photo: courtesy Nelco 40 kW diesel genset
Electric Ltd.] 120 kW motor-generator coupled to
flywheel to provide acceleration and
braking
Mechanical drive systems for motors
DC motors usually need two or three gear
ratios due to their limited speed range, heavy
weight and large size.
For induction motors, there are several
options. Ford originally developed a two ratio instead of having coils round individual teeth.
single motor transaxle to reduce motor
weight. The Ford Ecostar van (Fig. 3 4 uses a
larger motor with a fixed ratio. An interesting brushless DC motor and effectively doubles
feature of this arrangement is the use of a
hollow rotor with a driveshaft passing
through it avoiding the need for an offset or
right-angle motor drive (Fig.36).
The prototype GM Impact and Nissan FEV
have adopted two back-to-back motors
avoiding the need for a differential, but each
motor needing its fixed ratio planetary
reduction gear.
80
PM (permanent magnet) motors with
high-energy magnets using phase advance to
give 3:l speed range above base speed and
with 12 000 rpm maximum speed can
provide good performance without any
change of ratio.
PM motors with lower energy magnets
(e.g. ferrite or bonded isotropic NdFeB) are
larger and could benefit from a ratio change.
Switched reluctance motors are probably
best suited to a single ratio as they have a
wide speed range with good low-speed
torque. Torque ripple can be high at low
speed which may cause problems when
using a single ratio.
Drive motors for electric vehicles
The types of motor used in electric vehicles
are shown diagramatically in two-pole (or
equivalent) form in Fig. 4.
DC motors can have two, four or six poles
depending on power output and voltage and
may have series or shunt field windings, the
latter being chopper controlled to obtain a
range of constant power operation by field
weakening up to around 4000 rpm
maximum speed. Fully laminated frames
reduce losses, allow rapid response and
reduce the riskof commutator flashover.
lnterpoles are generally used over 10 kW
output. A permanent magnet field is
sometimes used for low-power applications,
e.g. golf carts.
Induction motors may be two or four pole
to keep iron losses down with high-speed
operation up to 12 000 rpm. The inverter
chopping rate also limits maximum
frequency.
A two-pole motor requires a high
length/diameter ratio and is generally used
with single motor drives. Four-pole machines
are used when two back-to-back motors
drive separate wheels to eliminate the need
for a differential.
Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) use
rotor position switches to energise the
separate phase windings in sequence. They
can be either three phase with four rotor and
sixstator poles (as shown) or four phase with
six rotor and eight stator poles to reduce
torque ripple (see Fig. 5) which can cause
noisy resonances in the mechanical drive
system a t low speeds. A wide speed range is
possible.
A new form of switched reluctance motor
has recently been described.’ This uses a
conventional stator with full pitch windings
It allows two phases to be energised
simultaneously in the same manner as the
the MMF. The rating of the motor is limited
by having two phases energised and by the
longer endwindings. An eight-pole rotor
with 12-pole stator reduces endwindings
(equivalent to a four-pole induction motor
stator winding) and may allow a 40%
increase in output by comparison with a
conventional SRM. The comparisons in the
next section do not include these possible
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
Table 1 DC motors -
companyhodel power outputt motor Production#
manufacturer
~ ~

Chrysler TEvan 48 5kW ? LP

Fiat 500 Elettra 9 2kW ? P
lveco Daily Bus Hybrid 22/45kW ? LP
VW Jetta City Stromer 15kW Bosch LP
Clean Air TransporVlAD
LA301 Hybrid 34kW Nelco 96/97?
Conceptor G Van 45kW Nelco P
Peugeot J5 Van 25/43 kW Leroy Somer 89*
Citroen C15 Van 15118 kW Leroy Somer 89*
Peugeot 106 Car ? Leroy Somer 92tt
Citroen AX Car ? Leroy Somer 92tt
Renault Mastervan 45 kW Nelco LP
Auto Technik Walther 8112kW ? P
Optima Range of cars 10115kW ? P
and vans 12/2OkW ? P
ELCAT City van 13119kW ? P
-_ ~~~~~

tPower output figures are nominal peak or short time ratings Where two figures are given the lower value i s usually
the continuous or 1 hour rating followed by the peak or short time (typically 5 minute) rating
#LP = in limited production P = in production
*600 vans are in service in Europe and Hong Kong
t t 5 0 cars for the La Rochelle project in 1993

Table 2 Induction motors

companyhnodel power motor prduction/date

output manufacturer

Ford Ecostar Van 56kW A 0 Smith 105 build 93

GM Impact Car 2x43kW Hughes/Delco prototypes 90
GM Impact Car lx75kW* Delco production 96/97
GM Ope1 lmpuls 2 Car 2x43kW Delco prototype 91
lveco 100 seat
VW Chico hybrid
WV Golf hybrid
Bus
Car
Car
1281143kW#
6kWt
7kWt
Ansaldo
Bosch
Bosc h
{ KN/A
Nissan FEV Car Zx2OkW ? production 97
Esoro Car 611 2 kW ? prototype 92
production 93
Chrysler Minivan 75kW** Westinghouse prototype
Dodge Pickup 75kW** Westinghouse prototype
~ ~~~~~

*The single motor version with water cooled stator is shown in Fig 8 It has 1 5 000 rpm maximum
speed with spur gear reduction to a differential driving the front wheels
#Also a prototype with two wheelmotors (13011 51 kW)
tEngine flywheel motor (Fig 9)
**Westinghouse has developed a rotor with a diecast copper squirrel cage which is claimed to give a
percentage point improvement in motor efficiencv Also, stator winding, use rectangular wire for better
slot fill (Fig 10)

improvements in SRM output being developed for 40-50 kW power

Brushless DC permanent magnet motors
also use rotor position sensing t o switch
between phases A three-phase trapezoidal
current waveform then equates t o an
electronically commutated DC machine
having three commutator bars Higher phase
numbers reduce torque ripple and increase
specific output, b u t the simplicity of the
three-phase scheme generally outweighs the
ripple advantages of higher phase numbers
The motor can also be supplied with
sinusoidal current t o reduce losses and
torque ripple
The use o f permanent magnets allows an
increased number of poles without excessive
cost or flux leakage This reduces stator
endwinding overhangs and stator and rotor
backiron allowing a substantial reduction in
machine weight 12 and 18 pole motors are
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
ratings
The use of surtace mounted magnets on
the rotor, which have a high magnetic
reluctance, keep5 rotor flux relatively
constant b u t phase advance can achieve
some field weakening This can be artificially
increased either by using 'buried' magnets or
by interposing steel poles between the
permanent magnet poles t o obtain a
component of reluctance torque (see Fig 6)
Which motor is best?
The choice of motor for both electric
vehicles and hybrids is generally determined
by three factors weight, efficiency and cost,
and these are compared in the following
'
tables They are based o n drives of 40-50 kW
rating suitable for the middle range of
electric car and van applications It is
81
 i

The size and weight advantage of the

brushless DC motor is illustrated in Fig. 7
which shows two 45 kW Nelco motors -a
DC motor being used in the Renault
Mastelvan and a brushless DC motor
developed for a UK vehicle manufacturer.

Efficiency, YO
These are average figures for normal use
which are lower than the often quoted peak
values.

motor electronics motor

only and
electronics
PM 97 93 90
SRM 94 90 85
IM 90 93 84
DC 80 98 78

The induction motor, being inverter fed, can

be designed with a lower rotor resistance and
operated at its optimum value of slip, usually
only around 3Hz. for each speed/torque
point by using a look-up table t o give the
required voltage and frequency. Efficiency
values are therefore higher than for
conventional induction motor drives.
There is therefore not much to choose
between the SRM and IM efficiencies.The IM
has higher motor losses because of the rotor
loss, whilst the SRM has higher electronics
motordrivcforGM IGBTdevicesand that liquid cooling will be losses due to high peak currents and higher
~ ~ h ~ ~ used
: ~to achieve
~ ~compact
~ and
~ lightweight
, c o frequency.
Remy1 packages. The overall motor and electronics efficiency
influences the battery weight -every 1%
Weight (based on PM = 100) lower efficiency requires 1% more battery.
When compared with the PM motor, a
motor only motor and vehicle using a DC motor requires 12% more
electronics battery weight as well as 2.25 times the
PM 100 200 motor and electronics weight, which
SRM 150 250
IM 200 300 together could exceed 150 kg.
DC 400 450
PM* = permanent magnet; SRM = switched Comparativecost (including electronics)
reluctance motor; IM = induction motor; DC= 100
DC = brushed DC motor
1993 1998 2003
'The PM motor can be either a synchronousmotor using DC 100 105 110
sine waveforms or a brushless DC motor using IM 100 90 80
trapezoidal waveforms. SRM 150 90 70
PM 150 90 60

Assumptions:
1 The DC motor will increase in cost as
productionvolume reduces.
2 The IM will reduce in cost mainly due to
electronics cost halving over the 10year period.
3 The SRM will reduce in cost partly due to
electronic cost reduction and partly due to
manufacturing investment.
4 The PM motor will reduce in cost due to
electronics cost reduction (as for IM and SRM),
manufacturing investment and magnet cost
reduction.

The DC motor and induction motor are at

9 7kWflywhed- present of roughly equal cost, while the SRM
mounted induction and PM motors cost 50% more due mainly to
motor for VW Golf
lack of manufacturing investment but also
[Photo: courtesy
VolkswagenAG] I due to the present high cost of NdFeB
82 POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
permanent magnets (f 1 OO/kg) in Europe. In
China, average 1993 NdFeB magnet prices
are f45/kg and are still falling.
It is possible t o use low-cost ferrite
I High efficiency rotor
magnets for the lower power ratings but
much of the weight advantage is then lost.
However, high efficiency is still retained.
Other factors
Other considerations are as follows -
each type of AC motor has its particular
advantages and disadvantages:
lnduction motor advantages
1 Known technology.
2 Available manufacturing infrastructure.
lnduction motor disadvantages
1 Need t o extract high rotor loss from the
core of the machine.
2 Needs low pole number (two or four)
requiring large copper endwindings and
considerable stator back iron. (This partly
causes its increased weight.)
SRM advantages
1 Robust and simple construction.
2 Power semiconductor 'shoot-through'
failures cannot occur.
SRM disadvantages
1 Both stator and electronics are different
from established technology.
2 Intrinsically high torque ripple may cause
noise and vibration if mechanical tolerances
are not held t o close limits.
3 High peakcurrentsand high frequency
can cause EMC problems.
PM advantages
1 High pole number reduces weight and
material content.
2 PM excitation provides highest efficiency.
3 Stator and electronics technology similar t o
IM.
I 11 Powerlspeed
0 profile of 50kW SR
IO00
speed. rpm
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
I
I I II I
Rectangular wire
statorwinding
PM disadvantages 10 Westinghouse
1 Present cost of high energy magnets. induction motor rotor
with diecast copper
2 Fixed flux gives low-speed range at squirrel cage, and stator
constant power but hybrid design with with rectangularwire
reluctance torque allows phase advance t o winding [Photo:
extend speed range. courtesy Westinghousel
3 Magnet corrosion and possible
demagnetisation are potential hazards not
present with other technologies.
A further consideration, not listed above, is
the need for rotor position sensing. It is likely
that all future systems will obtain position
data by waveform interrogation, so it has
been assumed that such costs will be similar
for all three machine types.
The SRM's simplicity and robustness
makes it a better choice than the induction
motor, b u t the lower weight and higher
efficiency of the PM motor will make it the
preferred option when high energy
magnets come d o w n in cost. However,
SRMs will be used in many vehicle
applications where safety and reliability are
2000 3000 traction drive with
measured efficiency
contours [courtesy
Switched Reluctance
Drives Ltd.1
83
 DC motors
Table 1 gives details of available DC
motors.
It is probable that DC motors less than
2OkW will continue to be used for small city
cars owing to the simplicity of their
electronics. Chopper control of armature and
shunt field current is relatively cheap and
efficient and the weight penalty is less
significant at the lower power levels

Induction motors
Table 2 gives details of available induction
motors.
It would appear that the first EVs to fit IMs
for general sale will be from Esoro AG in
Switzerland. The Ford, GM and Nissan EVs
are timed to meet the 1998 Los Angeles
legislation.

Switched reluctance motors

SRM development for EVs has been
undertaken bya limited number of
establishments. SR Drives Ltd. of Leeds is
founded on research carried out originally by
16
Leeds and Nottingham Universities for the
Chloride Group which developed systems for
a van and a railcar. Although prototypes built
in the late 1970s and early 1980s gave
acceptable results, the amalgamation of
Lucas and Chloride EV activities resulted in
the DC motor drive being adopted for the
GM Bedford van project on cost grounds.
Although this 50 kW design could now be
improved, it is of interest to note the wide
area of high efficiency operation (see Fig. 11)
SR Drives has designed a 2kW SRM for a 2
tonne pallet truck built by Radio Energie in
-
0
800 1600
speed rpm
2400 3200
France (see Fig. 12a). The motor is 125mm
square and 180mrn long and the controller is
i 280 x 170 x 1 OOmm. The control system is
designed to provide high braking torques
(see Fig. 12b).
The only other EV project planning to use
SRMs is by HIL (UK) Ltd Also designed by S R
Drives Ltd., this 30 kW motor is to power 50
QT-50 vans for use by the Post Office for mail
deliveries etc
- 1 6 _ i
PM AC motors
Table 3 gives details of available PM AC
motors. Many AC EV motors are liquid
cooled as this reduces size and weight. In PM
motors, it keeps magnet temperatures down
b and allows the use of NdFeB.
The weight of rare earth magnet material
12a 2kW switched of key importance or hazardous used in brushless DC or synchronous AC
reluctance motor and atmospheres prevail
power electronic propulsion motors depends on the choice of
module used on a pallet So, taking a broad brush overall view, the base speed, the constant power range by
truck [Photo: courtesy ‘best’ machine for future EVs would be field weakening (usually around 3.1) and
Switched Reluctance hence on the maximum motor speed.
Drives Ltd.] 1 The induction motor for the next five The Jestar 45kW motor was designed for a
126 Torquehpeed and years high-performance car. Fig. 13a shows the
efficiency 2 The PM motor beyond the five year time layout with its integral planetary gearbox and
characteristics,2kW, span Fig. 13b provides a sectional view showing
24V pallet truck the magnets ’embedded’ in the rotor iron to
[courtesy Switched Current projects
ReluctanceDrives Ltd.] allow a wider speed range at constant power
Current electric and hybrid electric vehicle by using phase advance. The Unisil stator
projects are now listed according to their teeth are separate from the Transil backiron.
electric drive motor type ’ The high specific output of 2.3kW/kg is
84 POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
 mainly due t o the use of direct oil cooling of
the stator windings.
Direct-drive wheel motors run at low
speeds and so need large rotors with a
considerable weight of magnet material, e.g.
Tepcoflokyo R&D's IZA EV has four wheel
motors containing a total of 10 kg of SmCo
which would cost around f2000 at today's
prices (see Fig. 14).
The Fiat Downtown, being a smaller car,
has t w o direct-drive rear wheel motors each
of much lower peak power so the weight of
the SmCo magnet material is likely t o be
about 1.5kg/car, costing f300.If the latest
high-temperature grades of NdFeB magnets
could be used, the cost would be approx
f l 5 0 k a r . probably reducing t o f75 over a
five-year period. Location of a drum brake
within each motor may make the water
cooling necessary (see Fig. 15).

back iron (transil)

13a Jestar's 45kW

wheel motor will
integral planetary
gearbox [courtesy Jestar
Ltd.]

136 Jestar's 45kW

motor: length 180mm.
diameter 21 2mm.
weight 19kg. basespeed
2760rpm. max. speed
b 8000 rpm, max. torque
156 Nm (courtesy Jestar
Ltd.]

POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994 85

c
14 Direct-drive wheel the 'series' hybrid to be used in which the
motor for IZA car
engine-generator is physically separate from
the drive motors. This simplifies the
mechanical driveline but at the expense of an
additional electrical machine.
Current projects probably all use PM or
wound field alternators. The speed control
associated with DC machines is unnecessary
with the relatively constant speed generating
requirement. The power rating of the
alternators would permit them to be used as
starters, but needing more expensive power
electronics. However, if a PM alternator is
used, a switching converter is needed to
regulate output voltage, which could also be
used to provide motoring torque for starting
the engine.
The use of a wound field allows simple
control and avoids the cost of expensive rare-
earth magnets, but the need for slip rings
and rotor windings complicates the machine
and prejudices reliability. Although there are
several 'brushless' versions of wound field
machines, they involve double airgaps or
pilot exciters with rotating rectifiers.
Because engines generally run at constant
speed, the PM generator does not need to
have a wide range of voltage control.
Generated power is also fairly constant
making control easier.
For petrol or diesel engines, rotor inertia
can be reasonably high, so flux-
concentrating ferrite magnet rotors can be
considered. However, the more compact
rare-earth magnet machines will be favoured
subject to acceptable magnet prices being
available.
Most PM motors will run up to 1 2 000 rpm Generators for current hybrid vehicle
max speed which reducesthe weight of rare programmes are shown in Table4.
earth magnet material for an IZA sized car to
approx 1 kg and would give the same vehicle High-speedgenerators
performance. CNG gas turbine hybrids offering very low
Cars of higher performance, e.g. the GM emissionswill be a competitor to pure
15 Fiat Downtown Impact, would need to use 2kg of NdFeB battery electric vehicles and will favour the
Carwith twodirect which currently costs about f200 reducing to PM generator as the high speeds
drive brushlessDC E l 0 0 in 5 (50 000rpm) will rule out rotor windings and
permanentmagnet
motors drivingthe rear slip rings.
wheels [photo:c o u ~ e s y Generators for hybrid EVs The axial airgap machine allows the use of
Fiat Auto (UK)Ltd.] The increased efficiency of AC drives allows a substantial retaining ring on the outside

86 POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994

Table 3 PM AC motors

company/model power motor production date

output manufacturer

Renault Clio Car 27kW Siemens NIA

Audi Duo Hybrid Car 31136kW Siemens NIA
BMW E l car for Europe 32kW Unique NIA
BMW E2 car for USA 32kW Unique N/A
Tokyo R&D/lepco IZA Car 4x641 7 Prototype 91
25kWt
Magnet-Motor Hybrid Bus 2x8OkW Magnet two in service
Motor
Eaton (Chrysler)Minivan 47.3kW Eaton NIA
Solectria 'Force' Car 18kW ? NIA
Selectria Car 24kW ? NIA
Chubu Elec Power Co./
'Dream' Minicar 2~3.5kW ? N/A
SEA (Austria) Elin Bus 25kW ? Prototype 90
Jestar High Performance Car 4x45 kW Jestar NIA
Mercedes 190 Car 2xl9kW AEG? Prototype 91
Fiat Downtown 2x517kWt ? Prototype 92

tDirect drive wheel motors.

Table 4 Generators for current hybrid vehicle programmes

companylmodel generator power manufacturer production

and type

GM HX-3 40kW PM alternator* Delco Remy prototype

Peugeot 405 diesel 30kVA 400Hz NIA 96

3 phase alternator

Peugeot 405 gas turbine NIA NIA proto.95?

lveco 25 seat bus 6-9kW IAFO (Fiat) 92

lveco 100 seat bus 35kW wound field IAFO (Fiat) NIA

Conceptor XREV G-Van 7kW NIA prototype

Magnet Motor bus 35-40kW PM AC magnetmotor 2 in service

Nevcor XA-I 00 Car 12kW alternator Unique prototype

Genoa Ricerche Car 25kW NIA prototype

Genoa Ricerche Taxi 8114kW NIA prototype

NoMac Energy Systems 24kW 93 000 rpm SmCo NoMac prototype

Gas turbine AC starterlgenerator

Ontario Bus Ind. 67kW. 8760rpm Unique test bench

& Unique Mobility water-cooled simulator

*The auxiliary power unit for the HX-3 is shown in Fig. 16. This has a 40 kW peak, 20 kW continuous
power output from an air-cooled generator using Magnequench magnets (a rapidly quenched
neodymium iron boron alloy). Output is controlled by pulsewidth-modulation.

diameter o f the PM rotor, but the power
output will probably need multiple rotors
which makes the construction complex. The
radial airgap machine will need rotor
banding within the airgap but this is
considered t o be the better option.
The other possible high-speed generator is
the switched reluctance generator (SRG) as
its rotor is simple and robust. GE has
developed a 50 OOOrpm 32kW machine as an
aircraft engine starter-generator, and it
should be possible t o increase speed or
output t o suit most automotive applications.
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994
SRG noise is of little consequence o n aircraft
where the large gas turbine engine masks the
generator noise, but ground vehicles will
require l o w noise, and this has yet t o be
demonstrated with an SRG.
A t present, the PM generator seems the
best choice.
The amount of magnet material used in
generators is again dependent o n the speed
at which they are driven. A direct drive from
an IC engine at around 4 000 rpm would
require 3kg per 1OOkW. By gearing u p t o
8750 rpm, the Ontario Bus Industries 67kW
87
16 Auxiliary power I
unit for GM HX-3 hybr.id
electriccar [Photo:
courtesyDelco Remy]
generator by Unique Mobility would need
about 1 kg of NdFeB.
Gas turbine generators running at very
high speeds need to use fewer poles and
with non-magnetic retaining bands in the
airgap. This nullifies some of the advantage
of using a high speed. For example, the
Nomac 24kW. 93 000 rpm generator would
probably need about 0.7kg of rare-earth
magnet material.
Conclusions
1 Legislation in the USA will require large-
scale production of electric vehicles. Europe
and Japan are expected to follow suit.
2 While DC motors up to 2OkW will
continue to be used for small electric city
cars, the need for longer range will make the
hybrid electric vehicle necessary, at least until
a battery breakthrough occurs.
3 The hybrid electric vehicle will always be
more expensive because of its two systems.
Volkswagen has attempted to minimise the
extra cost by incorporating the electric motoi
into the engine flywheel.
4 Reduced weight and increased efficiency
become essential requirements for future
electric vehicles, making an AC drive
preferred.
5 The induction motor with vector control
is the first choice at present as it is already
manufactured in volume for industrial use.
6 Brushless DC motors using high-energy
magnets offer a further substantial weight
reduction and efficiency improvement and
over a ten-year period will decrease in cost
owing to manufacturing investment and
88
lower rare earth magnet costs.
7 The 'dark horse' is the switched
reluctance motor which at present offers
little more than the induction motor but may
in future offer an intermediate capability
between induction and permanent magnet
motors.
8 The versatility of the 'series' hybrid makes
it the preferred choice, but it needs
lightweight, efficient and low-cost electric
machines.
9 Generators for 'series' hybrids divide into
two categories:
those driven at moderate engine speeds
by internal combustion engines where
wound-field alternators are generally
used at present but permanent magnet
excitation is expected to be used in the
future.
0 high-speed generators driven by gas
turbines where permanent magnet
alternators are the best choice at present.
References
1 'Electric motors in automobiles 1992-2002'.
lntertech Corporation, 170 US Route One,
Portland ME 04105, USA
2 MECROW, B.C.: 'Fully pitched-winding
switched-reluctanceand stemina-motor
arrangements', /€€Proceedingsg, January 1993,
140, (1)
0 IEE.1994
John West is a Consulting Engineer, Electrical
Machines He may be contacted at Bay View,
Bodafon, Llanerchymedd, Anglesey LL71 8BN. UK
He is an IEE Member
POWER ENGINEERING JOURNAL APRIL 1994