Simulative Study to Reduce DC-Link Capacitor of Drive Train for Electric Vehicles

Abstract

E-mobility is an emerging means of transportation, mainly due to the environmental impact of petroleum-based fuel vehicles and oil prices’ peak. However, electric vehicles face several challenges by the nature of technology. Consequently, electric vehicles have a limited travel range and are extremely heavy. In this research, an investigation is carried out on different measures to reduce the DC-link capacitor size in the drive train of an electric vehicle. The investigation is based on software simulations. The DC-link capacitor must be dimensioned with regards to relevant points of operation, which are defined by the rotation speed and torque of the motor as well as the available DC-link voltage. This also includes the field-oriented control (FOC). In order to optimally operate a three-phase inverter in the electric drive train, a suitable type and sizing of the capacitor was studied based on mathematical equations and simulations. Two measures were examined in this study: firstly, an auxiliary passive notch filter introduced in the electric drive train circuit is explored. Based on this measure, an advanced modulation scheme exploiting the control of individual currents within segmented windings of the PMSM is investigated in detail. It was seen that saw-tooth carrier modulation used in the parallel three-phase inverter is found to reduce DC-link capacitor size in the electric drive train circuit by 70%.