Thermal characterization of an axle-twin-drive with system integrated double-inverter

Integrated drive-units for electric vehicles (EV) with combined electric machines and power electronic components offer the chance to achieve compact and cost-optimized traction systems. The demand for high power-densities and the requirement of a reliable system operation lead to the necessity of an enhanced thermal management. In the present paper, the build-up of an integrated drive-unit with 2×20 kW is described. A thermal simulation model of the used traction machines, based on Cauer-networks and parameterized with FEM-simulations and measurements, allows an analysis of transient temperature profiles for various driving situations as well as a determination of internal temperatures.