Experimental Analysis of Field Oriented Control Technique for Three-Phase Induction Motor Drive in Electric Vehicles Application

The Induction motor (IM) is found to be applicable in electric vehicles (EVs) due to its robustness, reliability, and efficiency. Induction motors in EVs are controlled using variable frequency drives (VFDs) or inverters, which can adjust both the frequency and magnitude of the AC supply delivered to the motor. VFDs are tuned to adjust frequency or V/F ratio to precisely regulate the speed. However, VFDs have high torque ripples, causing noise and vibrations in the motor. These noises and vibrations further enter into the EV frame and hence cause serious disturbances to the rider as well as the vehicle structure. The field-oriented control (FOC) technique decouples the motor’s torque and flux components, allowing independent control and providing precise control over the speed and torque. This paper discusses the application of the field-oriented control for speed regulation of induction motors in EV applications. The MATLAB simulation model is developed, and results are presented to demonstrate speed control. The simulation results are validated by deploying the technique on a hardware model with a 1 HP, $440 \mathrm{~V}, 1500$ RPM, squirrel cage three-phase IM.