Comparison of the fundamental topologies of multilevel inverters with two-level inverters for electric vehicle applications: a synthesis

Faced with the growing challenges posed by climate change due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, of which the transport sector is one of the main polluters, sustainable solutions are being studied. Electric transport, which is attracting a great deal of interest, offers a solution that will considerably reduce CO2 emissions. Researchers are studying the technologies and improvements to be made to the electric vehicle powertrain and its components, paying increasing attention to power electronics. Advances in power electronics have led to the development of traction inverters. Although current electric vehicles use traditional two-stage inverters, they present certain problems that affect the performance and overall efficiency of the electric vehicle. On the other hand, multilevel inverters offer an interesting solution and are being studied as an alternative to two-level inverters. This paper presents an overview of the most commonly used multilevel inverter topologies, as well as a comparison between the traction inverters used, their advantages and limitations.