Can an AC (alternating current) electrical system replace the present DC system in the automobile? An investigative feasibility study. II. Comparison and tradeoffs

For Part I see ibid., vol.47, no.3, p.1072-80 (1998). In Part I of this paper, the possibility of using an AC (alternating current) electrical system instead of the present DC system in the automobile was discussed. The various possible architectures were described in Part I. Part II continues with the issues of various tradeoffs related to cost, size, and overall system reliability/robustness and simplicity when compared to the existing DC system in the automobile. The components primarily discussed in this paper are the inverter and induction motors. Comparison between single- and three-phase systems is also done. The benefits of the AC system are not based on only the cost, but reliability and robustness too, and it seems that a replacement of the present automotive electrical system with a three-phase AC system is a reasonable step toward alternative electrical system selections.