Applicability of 6/10 Switched Reluctance Motor as a Mid Drive e-Bike Propulsion

This paper explores the applicability of a 6/10 SRM for mid-drive bike propulsion as an efficient and cost-effective replacement for commonly used permanent magnet motors. Properties of the IPM Shimano Steps motor are explored first as this motor is used as a benchmark machine to compare the capabilities of the SRM. Based on the analyzed IPM, a set of requirements is defined for the design and optimization of 6/10 SRM. The optimal design of the SRM is compared with IPM in terms of torque and efficiency in the complete speed range. A prototype of the optimal design was built and compared with electromagnetic calculations for the sake of validation.