Page - 125 - in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Chapter 6 Design, Optimization and Modelling of High Power Density Direct-Drive Wheel Motor for Light Hybrid Electric Vehicles Ioannis D. Chasiotis and Yannis L. Karnavas Additional information is available at the end of the chapter http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.68455 Abstract Throughout the last few years, permanent magnet synchronous motors have been proven suitable candidates for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Among them, the outer rotor topology with surface mounted magnets and concentrated windings seems to be very promising and has not been extensively investigated in literature. In this study, an over- all optimization and modelling procedure is proposed for the design and operational assessment of high-power density direct-drive in-wheel motors, targeted towards a light HEV application. The analytical model of an HEV’s subsystems is then implemented for a more accurate evaluation of overall powertrain performance. Furthermore, a simple but effective cooling system configuration, which is taking into account the specific problem requirements, is also proposed. Keywords: hybrid electric vehicle, high power density, in-wheel motor, optimization, permanent magnet motor, dynamic modelling, electrical machines design 1. Introduction Recent environmental concerns due to global warming and air pollution motivated many countries around the world to legislate fuel economy and emission regulations for ground vehicles [1]. Furthermore, the necessity of developing alternative methods to generate energy for vehicles owing to depletion of conventional resources was greater than ever [2]. These features encouraged the introduction of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as suitable candidates for the replacement of the conventional internal combustion engine counterparts. Since the performance of EVs and FCVs is still far behind the requirements, HEVs are considered as the most reliable and preferred choice among similar technologies by manufacturers, governments and consumers [3, 4]. Comparing © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.