An Analytical Approach to Design Energy-Efficient Propulsion Systems for Electric Vehicles with Consideration of Magnetic Saturation in Electric Motors

With the impending bans on the sale of internal combustion engine passenger cars in leading industrialized nations, the electrification of passenger vehicles emerges as the sole viable option for automotive manufacturers. To bolster competitiveness in the future, it is imperative for automotive manufacturers to devise strategies for designing electric vehicles that are not only more comfortable, powerful, and cost-effective but also efficient, all within abbreviated development periods. This paper introduces a method for rapidly and systematically identifying energy-efficient drive motor solutions for electric propulsion systems during the initial stages of vehicle development. The proposed approach relies on analytical calculation methods, encompassing the analytical design process and analytical loss estimation. The analytical design process systematically generates diverse configurations within a short timeframe, while analytical loss estimation ensures the prompt identification of the most efficient solution from numerous design alternatives. To enhance the accuracy of loss estimation, the influence of magnetic saturation is considered, which can be analytically resolved based on a reluctance network approach.