Sensorless Torque Control of an Electric Vehicle Driven by an Open End Winding Induction Motor: An Experimental Study

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are anticipated to play a pivotal role in addressing global climate change objectives and offering a solution for improved fuel efficiency. However, enhancing the performance, energy efficiency and cost remain the major challenges for EV technology. Identifying the operating points of the EVs motor drive system is crucial for optimizing its performance. Sensorless electric motor control for EVs is one of the promising research areas for cost reduction and performance improvement. This work’s primary objective is to develop, implement and validate experimentally a torque estimator based on Luenberger observer on an EV driven by an open-end winding induction motor (OEWIM) fed by two inverters. The proposed observer structure uses the complete OEWIM mathematical model. The rotor fluxes are estimated using the electrical model whilst the torque is observed using the mechanical model. This observer has been implemented using a board signified for a 1.5 kW OEWIM. The obtained experimental findings demonstrate the efficacy of the method put forward.