Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification: Trends and Technologies

This article provides an overview of the pathways in the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). A deep understanding of the challenges in MHDV electrification in terms of the electric powertrain is required to keep pace with decarbonization targets, which also requires more efforts in research and development. The objective of this article is to identify key trends and directions for the MHDV electric powertrain system and its components. Different electric motor types and configurations are discussed to meet the demands of MHDVs. Comparison of existing solutions for motor drive challenges of MHDVs is conducted through a tradeoff analysis of inverter topologies including multilevel inverters (MLIs) and space vector modulation (SVM) techniques. In addition, recommendations for the energy storage system (ESS) of MHDVs are provided from empirical drive cycle analysis. Finally, a summary of the major takeaways, future directions, and actions in the electric powertrain systems for MHDVs are presented.