Intelligent Integrated Vehicle Control and Motor Control Unit for Electric Three wheelers

Automotive industries are currently transitioning to electric vehicles, and electric three-wheelers (e3W) have become popular for urban public transportation and last-mile connectivity in India. However, many e3Ws in the country use sub-components from neighboring countries that are unsuitable for Indian conditions, lacking indigenous development. Additionally, there is a lack of a supervisory controller for safety and improved overall efficiency. To address these issues, this paper introduces the design and development of an integrated Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) cum Motor Control Unit (MCU) for low-speed electric vehicles, including e3W. The integrated controller, implemented with a single-chip dual-core microcontroller, assigns VCU functions to the master core and MCU functionality to the slave core. The VCU performs tasks such as torque re-structuring/de-rating, energy optimization, temperature monitoring, range estimation, and component safety enhancement. It interacts with signal conditioning interfaces for the motor, controller, and battery, communicating with a smart display unit to show range, fault status, distance covered, speed, etc. Meanwhile, the MCU is designed for 4quadrant drive operation with regenerative braking capabilities. The overall solution is compact, cost-effective, reliable, and scalable for various ratings, offering essential features for low-speed electric vehicles like e-rickshaws, e-autos, electric two-wheelers, etc. Experimental results from laboratory test benches and on-road testing of an actual e3W demonstrate the salient features and advantages of this technology.