Design Optimization of an Electric Motor for Improved Performance of a Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle

The transition to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) has increased the demand for efficient, cost-effective, and reliable electric motors. However, designing an electric motor that meets such criteria necessitates simultaneous consideration of many factors. Thus, it is beneficial to provide a basic understanding of electric motor fundamentals, highlight key design factors and methods regarding performance metrics, and explore novel technologies that can optimize future electric motors. Existing motor designs and novel applications of existing technology were reviewed to identify opportunities for improvement. This review demonstrated that modern electric motors have the potential for further efficiency optimization while remaining cost-effective. Furthermore, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software was employed to reverse engineer the performance of three BEV Tesla motors, using available operating and physical data to determine their performance. The simulation results were within the performance error margin, indicating that FEA analysis of motor geometry via material data can accurately predict the performance and, therefore, design effectiveness per dollar of an electric motor. This research provides valuable insights into the fundamental design considerations for electric motors and offers promising avenues for future research and development in cost reduction and optimization.