Review of Motors for Electric Vehicles

The need for clean energy and removal of toxic emission from internal combustion engines have led researchers and engineers into exploring and developing new drive systems. The development of hybrid cars has greatly reduced the emission level of vehicles. However, this is not enough. The purely electrical vehicles are 100% clean in service and as such their deployment is of great importance. Therefore, these vehicles replace the internal combustion engine in conventional cars and automobiles with electric motors. Hence, the need for the motor drive in an electric vehicle that is highly efficient with low weight, high power density and cheaply available in the market. In this paper, a review of different electric motors with respect to their design simplicity, cost, ruggedness and efficiency is presented. Finally, the brushless DC motor is proven to be an efficient and most suitable candidate for propulsion drive in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. However, its control is insufficient. A conceptual method to improve its control is also presented.