Title: Structural Optimization in the Design of the Geared-Hub Brushless DC Motors and

Exploration on the Possible Topologies for the Controller for Electric Two-Wheelers

Theme:
Aims and objectives: Automotive industry is undergoing major transformation globally towards
electric mobility because of growing concerns for environment. Electric mobility (E-mobility) is
the prime driver of this change. Just like conventional sector, the sector of E-mobility can also be
broadly categorized in two different sectors two wheelers and four wheelers. A deep dive in the
market unveil that the lion's share of the market is captured by the two-wheelers rather than the
four wheelers or heavy vehicle. Furthermore,in a developing country like India, 2-wheelers claim
almost 80% of the market's place. Therefore, it becomes quite obvious that this dominance in
terms of market demand will always remain for the two wheelers, which explicitly calls for a
dedicated research exploration of the Electric two wheelers.
to establish the control strategy of the dc-dc converters for controlling the power flow among the
battery, UC and the DC-link [6-7].
Being an electrochemical product, battery characteristics vary widely under different operational
and environmental conditions. The purpose of the BMS is to ensure safe and reliable battery
operation. It has been proposed to develop a BMS which would ensure safe and healthy battery
operation.
For traction motor (PMSM), three-level NPC will be designed since it offers several advantages
such as simple structure and improved efficiency over other multilevel inverters [9-11]. Different
modulation and control strategies will be implemented to solve the topology specific issues such
as dc link capacitor voltage balancing. Suitable closed loop speed/torque control algorithms will
be implemented in embedded control platform for experimental validation.
Among the various MPPT algorithms developed till date, the Perturb and Observe (P&O)
algorithm is widely used, mainly due to its simplicity and ease of implementation. However it
suffers from the drawbacks of continuous steady state oscillations, and inefficient tracking in case
of rapid changes in operating conditions [12]. So in this work P&O algorithm will be modified to
give zero steady state oscillation once it reached near to the MPP, which will obviously increase
the overall efficiency of the system.
Background/genesis and motivation: Indian EV market space is primarily composed of LSEVs.
LSEVs generally have a maximum speed of between 40 km/h and 60 km/h, have short driving per
charge range and, mostly use lead-acid batteries and basic motor technology [13]. LSEVs struggle
in large cities due to their poor acceleration and low top speeds. Mahindra Electric’s has two EV
models [14] (compact e2oPlus and the eVerito sedan) and Tata Motors is about to launch Tigor-
EV [15]. These EVs use 72/96V Lithium Ion battery, induction motor drive (20/30kW) at low
DC-link voltage levels with the top speed of approx. 90km/h and drive range of 110 kms. The
commercially available EVs in India have been developed with very nascent drivetrain technology
and are low on drive performance. Hence this project proposes to develop a high power electric
drivetrain with state of art technology. In global scenario, most of the EVs are powered through a
rechargeable Li-ion battery pack having base voltage in the range of 300V to 360V and the
propulsion motor nominal capacity is 80 kW-120 kW. If the voltage level is raised to the higher
level (say 400V-600V), then current becomes less and it will increase efficiency for same power
level operation. The motor drive characteristics for automobile applications are quite different
from the industrial drives. Therefore, a detailed design and performance assessment study for the
drive train is proposed to be carried out.
Justification and novelty – a) Design and development of high power bidirectional DC-DC
converter designed for operation at average power level for battery pack and peak power level for
UC. b) An efficent energy management algorithm for power sharing and state of health
improvisation of the HESS components i.e. improved vehicle performance with extended battery
life. c) Present solar vehicles use standard MPPT algorithm which are not so efficient. An efficient
and state of art MPPT algorithm will be used for the flexible PV panels installed at vehicle roof-
top. d) The three-level inverter technology for EV applications is not yet mature, and is a current
research interest worldwide. e) An embedded vehicle controller unit and battery management
system with instrument cluster for real time monitoring or vehicle performance and various
components state of health.
Plan of work: Initially, theoretical design will be done for 70-90 kW power lever. Then, for
hardware prototyping, first a 20kW EV drive will train will be designed, tested and after that,
whole design will be scaled up for required power level. Module 1 (Battery UC connection
configurations and power converter design): Suitable battery/UC configuration should be
selected and the power stage will be designed depending on the vehicle specification. Module 2
(UC and Battery sizing, life and cost optimization): Proper Sizing of the Battery and UC on the
basis of load requirement and EMA will be done. Module 3 (BMS ): State evaluation of a battery
i.e. state of charge, state of health, and state of life along with charge equalization, over voltage
protection and thermal management will be implemented in BMS. Module 4 (EMA): Power
allocation will be done by frequency sharing algorithm, considering HESS constraints. Module 5
(Traction motor drive): 3-level NPC based traction inverter development. Suitable closed
loop speed/torque control algorithms will be design and implemented in embedded control
platform for experimental validation. Module 6 (MPPT): An efficient MPPT algorithm will be
developed for rooftop PV panel. Module 7 (Simulation and model verification): Proposed model
will be simulated using Advanced Vehicle Simulator (ADVISOR) for analysis of the designed
drivetrain components. Module 8 (System integration and Prototyping): drivetrains integration
for real time testing and debugging.

Important milestones and projected time to reach such targets: 1) Battery/UC HESS
connection configuration, power stage design and modeling: (01-06 Months) 2) Battery and the
UC’s sizing and cost optimization. (01-09 Months) 3) Battery and UC modeling and SOC
estimation. Design and development of BMS. PV MPPT development. (07-18 Months) 4) Energy
Management Algorithm and Controller for the Converter. (13-18 Months) 5) Design and analysis
of three-level inverter prototype development (01-06 Months) 6) Sizing, selection and sourcing
of individual components for hardware development based on the design (07-12 Months) 7)
Development of three-level NPC inverter hardware (13-18 Months) 8) Design and development
of embedded control hardware platform (13-24 Months) 9) Implementation of modulation and
control algorithms in embedded control platform (19-30 Months) 10) Vehicle Control System
Design including various instrument cluster (24-30 Months) 11) ADVISOR based simulation and
verification of Developed algorithm and system. (24-30 Months) 12) Hardware design, system
integration, prototype development and testing (Delivery of the hardware design at the end of this
period) (31-36 Months).
Projected deliverables: Electric Vehicle Drivetrain for an MUV consisting of following: 1) High
Power Bidirectional DC-DC Converter 2) Three Level Inverter with PMSM drive 3) BMS 4)
HESS design and Energy Management Algorithm 5) Advanced MPPT algorithm
Target beneficiary and impact: The outcome of the project can benefit various government
research agencies like ARAI Pune, CSIR etc. It can also be relevant for private sector automobile
companies like Mahindra Electric, Tata Motors, Kinetic Energy etc. which are involved in
commercial EV production process in India.