Emission Reduction by Optimizing Current Return Paths in Electric Vehicles

This presentation deals with the analysis of common mode (CM) current return paths between the electric generator, the electric motor and the battery cells, and their impact on radiated emission effects. Due to the increasing complexity of electrical and electronic systems in modern vehicles and the ever-shorter development cycles it is essential to run design studies on virtual prototypes by means of electromagnetic simulations. We demonstrate a new methodology for an automated numerical mesh generation that avoids manual work and significantly reduces the total time for preparatory operations. Finally, we demonstrate the effect of common mode current return paths in vehicles and explain countermeasures in order to suppress the emission.