Critical Review on Torque Ripple Sources and Mitigation Control Strategies of BLDC Motors in Electric Vehicle Applications

In recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have attracted a lot of attention and are rapidly growing trends today due to their ability to compete with and overtake fossil fuel-powered vehicles among all electrified transportation tools. The primary focus of EV evolution is on improving the driving range and optimizing energy consumption, both of which are essential demands achieved through improved and developing motor performance. The brushless direct current (BLDC) motor is one of the most superior choices for dynamic applications in EVs, providing the highest power density and capability of any motor. BLDCs are gaining popularity in EVs not only for their high performance in speed and position controls but also for meeting the requirements of smooth torque maintenance with torque ripple mitigation. This paper provides an overview of various advanced control strategies, such as field-oriented control (FOC), direct torque control (DTC), intelligent control (IC), controlling input voltage (CIV), current shaping techniques (CST), model predictive control (MPC), and sliding mode control (SMC). These strategies are used to regulate the torque ripples produced in BLDC motors, aiming to achieve energy-efficient EV performance for various applications. Additionally, it describes a cloud-based control system coupled with electric motor drives to address challenges in predicting current vehicle conditions for improved power distribution between the motor and battery systems. Furthermore, recent concerns and difficulties in advancing torque ripple mitigation control strategies are highlighted, with comparisons and discussions for future EV research. Finally, an evaluative study on BLDC motor drive in EVs with different control strategies reveals its significance and potential outcomes.