Field-Oriented Control of a Mathematically Modelled PMa-SynRM for Two-Wheeler EV Application

This study details the modelling and simulation analyses performed on a mathematically modelled permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMa-SynRM) driven by a field-oriented controlled (FOC) voltage source inverter (VSI) coupled with a half-bridge bidirectional buck-boost DC/DC converter for two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) applications. The 5 kW, 1500 rpm PMa-SynRM employed here has a shorter response time and is also naturally lighter and cost-effective, making it suitable for two-wheeler EVs. Field-oriented control simplifies the control strategy for PMa-SynRM by decoupling torque and flux, effectively matching the behaviour of a DC motor. A half-bridge buck-boost converter is a DC-DC converter capable of bidirectional power flow, stepping up and down voltages. This makes it ideal for both motoring and regenerative braking in electric vehicles. The buck-boost converter with its controller effectively adjusts the inverter and battery voltage for efficient power flow during motoring and maximum power recovery during regenerating braking. The developed model aims at demonstrating forward and reverse motoring, as well as forward and reverse braking to validate the four-quadrant torque-speed characteristics of two-wheeler EVs. The proposed model attains less than 2% torque ripple and less than 1% speed ripple, respectively. Further, the current ripples are minimised to reduce losses and to improve efficiency. The work presented in this paper implements a PMa-SynRM-based drive system for EVs, a technology which is in the exploratory stage and not commercially widespread. This adds novelty to the proposed work. A MATLAB Simulink environment was used for modelling and simulation.