Performance Evaluation of Coil Design in Inductive Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles

Given the substantial role of electric vehicles (EVs) in decarbonization, the demand for EVs has become widespread. However, batteries remain a major impediment, mainly due to critical environmental concerns. Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) is an effective technique to eliminate the reliance on batteries by enabling charging without physical connection. This paper conducts a thorough analytical review of the most recent advancements in the design of IPT couplers and identifies current gaps and future opportunities. Different aspects of IPT systems are reviewed, various coil designs are compared, and their performance is analyzed. In-depth theoretical analysis is conducted through mathematical modeling, and the electric and magnetic equations are derived to ensure accurate outcomes. Moreover, a magnetic field calculation tool using a Python script has been developed to perform the magnetic computations and produce 3D graphs of the total magnetic flux linkage. Additionally, performance evaluations have been conducted for complex couplers based on simulation results executed in Ansys Electronics software. To ensure comprehensiveness, the trade-off trends in the design of magnetic couplers are presented, and relevant optimization techniques are reviewed and explained. This paper is anticipated to be a comprehensive reference for researchers seeking both in-depth theoretical analysis of IPT systems and a thorough review of coupler designs.