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Algorithm for selection of motor and vehicle architecture for a Plug-in Hybrid
Electric Vehicle

Conference Paper · December 2012

DOI: 10.1109/INDCON.2012.6420740

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 Algorithm for Selection of Motor and Vehicle
Architecture for a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Ajay Babu and S. Ashok
Department of Electrical Engineering
National Institute of Technology
Calicut, India

Abstract—A lot of research in the area of automobiles is focused to charge the battery or to feed the main motor when the
on Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Battery State of Charge has fallen below a lower cut off. (In
Vehicles (PHEV). The concept of PHEV becomes meaningful Fig. 1 if the line joining the ICE to mechanical transmission is
only if the system as a whole is efficient. Inorder to build an removed, it becomes the block diagram of a Series PHEV).
efficient HEV, it is important to select the best components and of
the correct rating. Motor and Battery are important components C. Series-Parallel Architecture
in any HEV. This paper describes the procedure to calculate the
The block diagram of a Series-Parallel PHEV is shown in
maximum power requirement of any HEV. The features of two
most popular motors used in HEV are discussed. Various HEV Fig. 1.
architectures are also explained briefly in the paper. This paper
proposes an algorithm for motor selection and selection of PHEV
architecture based on overall efficiency. The algorithm also
ensures that motor is not oversized or undersized for a particular
vehicle.

Keywords- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), Rolling

Friction, Air Friction, Tractive Force, Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor (PMSM), Induction Motor

I.INTRODUCTION
The automobile sector worldwide is shifting its attention
towards minimal consumption of petroleum resources on one
hand, while trying to achieve most efficient utilization of
electrical power available on board. Choice of battery and
motor is critical for achieving this goal. The motor used must
Figure 1. Block Diagram of a Series – Parallel PHEV
be capable of working most efficiently for a particular speed
range of the vehicle in which the vehicle is most likely to be A PHEV is basically a HEV capable of feeding back power
driven. For example a vehicle in India is most likely to be to the main grid when desired. A series-parallel HEV has the
driven in a speed range between 40 to 50 kmph. Thus in any flexibility of working in either series or parallel as desired for a
hybrid electric vehicle in India, the motor on board must be given drive condition.
capable of working in its most efficient operating point or near
to this in the specified speed range. The battery chosen must be II.FACTORS AFFECTING LOAD ON A VEHICLE
capable of allowing maximum range to the vehicle. This can be The following are the factors which affect the maximum
maximized further by designing efficient control strategies. load on any vehicle [3]:
A special class of HEV called the Plug-in Hybrid Electric
A. Gross Weight
Vehicle (PHEV) [1] is fast gaining worldwide popularity.
Various HEV or PHEV Architectures [2] are as listed below: This includes the kerb weight of the vehicle, weight of the
person(s) and the luggage in the vehicle (may be calculated as
A. Parallel Architecture in (1)). Thus the design objective is to meet the performance
Both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the motor can expectations of the HEV [4], [5] and at the same time to keep
simultaneously provide the main drive, based on some control the gross vehicle weight as minimum as possible. The overall
strategy. Both can work individually as well. cost of the vehicle is also often a deciding factor.
B. Series Architecture
Gross Weight = (Kerb Weight) + (Weight of Passengers on
Only the bigger motor provides the main drive. ICE does board) + (Payload) (1)
not provide direct drive. It is connected to a small machine
which can also act as generator. Thus ICE is switched on only

978-1-4673-2272-0/12/$31.00 ©2012 IEEE 875

 In smaller vehicles like electric bikes the battery is a major
component that adds to the gross vehicle weight. Battery which
has higher power and energy densities shall help the cause.
This is the reason for major research work happening in the
area of Lithium based batteries.
Another major component contributing to the gross weight
of the HEV is the motor. DC series motor is known to provide
high starting torque and is hence highly suitable for traction
purposes. But they are found to be bulky and heavy especially
for electric bikes. For low power vehicles, say below 5kW,
brushless dc motors or permanent magnet synchronous motors
are used. For vehicles with higher power, induction motors and
switched reluctance motors are better choices. In any case, the
motor must not be oversized as it unnecessarily adds to the
gross weight of the vehicle. However the motor must definitely
not be under sized as it will keep the motor always under
overloaded condition.
B. Maximum Gradient of Traversible Terrain
While calculating the maximum possible load on a vehicle,
the maximum gradient of road which it can climb is an
important consideration. Almost all vehicles are designed to
climb up to 15 % slope or less. Anyhow it is very important to
consider this limit for load calculation or else the vehicle might
not be able to climb even smaller gradients.
C. Net Friction
This includes the air friction, rolling friction and the friction
in the moving parts within the vehicle transmission system.
Rolling Friction is calculated as in (2):
Froll = Cr * P.
D. Tractive Force
It is defined as the product of friction coefficient and
normal load on each wheel. This becomes critical while
deciding whether the vehicle must be provided with a front
wheel drive or a rear wheel drive. The design must be such as
to reduce the phenomenon called wheel slip.
Wheel slip during acceleration is calculated as in (4):
Sa = (Vwheel - Vactual) / Vwheel (4)
Wheel slip during braking is calculated as in (5):
Sb = (Vactual - Vwheel) / Vwheel (5)
III.LOAD CALCULATION OF A TYPICAL VEHICLE
Based on the above discussion, the procedure to calculate
the maximum power requirement of a PHEV is explained.
The following are the specifications of the vehicle under
consideration:
Curb Weight of the Vehicle = M
Number of Passengers = n
Mass of one passenger = W
Mass of luggage/ cargo = Wl
Gross mass is calculated as in (6):
Wg= M + (n*W) + Wl (6)
Max speed = Vmax
Time taken to achieve the max speed = tmax
(2) Maximum acceleration possible is calculated as in (7):

Where Cr = rolling resistance coefficient = 0.01*(1+V/100) amax = Vmax / tmax (7)

Tyre Design affects the rolling friction acting on the
vehicle. Tyre size varies according to the size and weight of the
vehicle. The tyre design and its width play an important role in
the stability of the vehicle while driving and there by the safety
of people on board.
Air Friction is calculated as in (3):
While running on a level road, there are two types of
friction which is likely to act on the vehicle (except the friction
acting in other moving parts within the vehicle): Rolling
Friction and Air Friction.
Both rolling friction and air friction can be calculated using
equations (1) and (2).

Fair = 0.5 * C * A * ρ * (V+Vw)2 (3) Power to maintain a constant velocity is calculated as in (8):

Where C = Aerodynamic resistance coefficient PVmax = (Froll + Fair) * Vmax (8)

V = Vehicle Speed
Vw = Wind Speed Energy to move at a speed of Vmax is calculated as in (9):
ρ = Air density
A = Frontal Area of the vehicle EVmax = ½ * Wg * (Vmax) 2 (9)
Aerodynamic Design of the vehicle affects the Air Friction
Maximum additional power required to accelerate from 0km/hr
acting on the vehicle. The overall design of the body of the
vehicle also determines the drag acting on the vehicle while to Vmax kmph is calculated as in (10):
being driven forward. A vehicle with a streamlined or
aerodynamic body will have better mileage compared to Paddl = EVmax / tmax (10)
another vehicle without the aerodynamic design (ICE and
motor being of the same rating). Power required for accelerating from 0kmph to Vmax kmph at
maximum rate of acceleration amax is calculated as in (11):

Pam = PVmax + Paddl (11)

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Power required for maintaining a constant speed = V kmph on
a road with a gradient = x% is calculated as in (12):
PVhill = Phill + PV (12)
Where, Phill = Additional Energy required to maintain speed V
kmph on a hill of x% grade = (0.3 * Wg * 9.8 * V) /
1000
PV = Power required to maintain a constant speed of V
kmph is given by: Proll +Pair
The maximum gradient is chosen after considering wheel
slip also (see equations (4) and (5)).
Power required for accelerating from 0kmph to V kmph on
a road with gradient= x% is calculated as in (13):
Pax = PVhill + Pa (13)
Where, Pa = Power required to accelerate from 0 kmph to
V kmph on a hill of 30% gradient = 0.5 * Wg * V2 / t
(time required for acceleration being t seconds).
From the above calculations the maximum power
requirement of the vehicle can be easily be found out. The
motor selected for the electric drive must be capable of meeting
this maximum load, if the vehicle is supposed to run in all-
electric mode. The motor rating will also depend on the control
strategy adopted for the particular vehicle under consideration.
IV.MOTOR OPTIONS
The first and best motor option for any HEV or PHEV shall
be a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) [6],
because of the following main reasons:
• High efficiency.
• High flux density and hence suitable for power dense
applications.
• Low operating temperature and hence low wear and tear.
The following points stand in favour of use of induction
motors in HEV or PHEV [7], [8], [9], [10]:
• Simple and Rugged in Construction.
• Although a PMAC motor has higher efficiency than
induction motor, a highly efficient induction motor can
have its highest efficiency in the range of 89% or so.
Moreover they are capable of working at remarkably high
efficiencies in a wider range of output power.
• As motor size increases, magnetic losses increase in a
PMSM motor, thereby reducing efficiency. Induction
motors do not suffer proportionate losses as size increases.
• Induction motors are far cheaper compared to PMSM
motors of the same size.
• Induction motors do not have the risk of demagnetization.
(A PMSM motor suffers from the risk of demagnetization).
• Induction motor can operate at above base speed by means
of field weakening. PMSM motors suffer from poor field
weakening.
• An induction motor exhibits excellent dynamics with
proper control.
• Induction motor suppliers are much more in numbers than
those of PMSM motors, and hence are much readily
available.
V.ALGORITHM
This section presents an algorithm to be followed for
selection of motor and vehicle architecture for a PHEV. Due
to various advantages listed in section IV, the motor options
considered are Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors and
Induction Motors.
The following algorithm can be followed (in the same order
as given below) for selection of motor and Hybrid Electric
Vehicle Architecture:
• Calculate the power required to drive the vehicle at
maximum speed and also for accelerating to the maximum
speed at the maximum acceleration level planned for on a
level road. (as explained in section III).
• If the vehicle is intended to climb slopes, consider the
maximum gradient which the vehicle is expected to
navigate and then calculate the power required to maintain
the maximum possible speed on the slope. Also calculate
the power required to accelerate at the maximum rate to this
speed. (as explained in section III).
• Find the peak power requirements from the calculations
above.
• If the difference between the maximum power and the
power required to drive at constant maximum speed is high,
say more than 30%, then go for 2 motors. Only one motor
runs when the vehicle moves at constant speed. The second
motor can run during peak load so as to supplement the
main motor. If the difference between the two powers is
less than 30%, then go for a single motor. (This avoids the
motor operation in inefficient region of its operating
characteristics).
• If a single motor alone is used, a parallel drive shall be an
ideal choice. While if two motors are used, a series or
series-parallel architecture can be adopted as the two
motors can be utilized most effectively.
• If the power requirement is low, say below 5kW, the best
choice is PMSM. While if it is above 5 kW, induction
motor shall be an economic and fairly efficient choice. If
high overall cost of the vehicle is not an issue, then PMSM
shall definitely be the best choice. But cost/performance of
an induction motor is less for induction motor, especially
for high powered vehicles.
VI.CONCLUSION
A systematic procedure to calculate the load on a HEV or
PHEV has been explained in depth. When we consider both
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cost and performance together, induction motors are thought to
be better choice compared to PMSM motors, especially for
applications involving high power (much higher than say 5
kW). Through proper implementation of vector control
techniques like indirect field oriented control, a wide range of
speed control is possible. Moreover due to superior field
weakening capability, speed control above the base speed is
easily possible in case of induction motors compared to PMSM
motors. Through this paper an algorithm has been proposed to
select the motor and eventually the hybrid vehicle architecture.
This algorithm prevents under sizing or oversizing of motors,
the use of motor in less efficient zones and unnecessary
increase in the overall cost of the vehicle.

REFERENCES
[1] Proceedings of IEEE National Conference on Smart Grids (Gridcon-
2010), 30 Oct-1 Nov, 2010, Thiruvananthapuram
[2] Ali Emadi, Mehrdad Ehsani, John M. Miller, “Vehicular Electric Power
Systems Land, Sea, Air and Space Vehicles”, Marcel Dekker, Inc, New
York, Basel, 2004.
[3] Siavash Zoroofi, "Modeling and Simulation of Vehicular Power
Systems", Master’s Thesis in the International Master’s Program
Electrical Power Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology,
Sweden, 2008.
[4] Robin Hardy, “Electric and hybrid vehicles”, CRC Press, 2003
[5] Mehrdad Ehsani, “Modern Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Fuel Cell
Vehicles: Fundamentals, Theory, and Design”, CRC Press, 2004.
[6] Jim Murphy, "Understanding AC Induction, Permanent Magnet and
Servomotor Technologies: Operation, Capabilities and Caveats", Leeson
Electric Corp, Grafton, e-book as on 23 June 2012.
[7] D.W. Novotny and T.A. Lipo, “Vector Control and Dynamics of AC
Drives”, Oxford Science Publications, 2003.
[8] Richard Valentine, “Motor Control Electronics Handbook”, McGraw-
Hill Handbooks, 1998.
[9] Vedam Subrahmmanyam, “Electric Drives Concepts and
Applications”,Tata McGraw-Hill, 2007.
[10] Jussi Puranen, “Induction Motor versus Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Motor in Motion Control Applications: A Comparative Study", Thesis
for the Degree of Doctor of Science (Technology), Lappeenranta
University of Technology, Finland, 2006.

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