The torque ripple of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) limits its application in electric vehicles. This paper proposes a DITC system for SRMs based on a novel multilevel converter (MLC), which aims at the problem that the torque ripple cannot be effectively suppressed for the conventional direct instantaneous torque control (DITC) of an SRM due to the limitation of the DC bus voltage in the asymmetric half-bridge converter (AHBC) and the single control strategy formulated in the commutation region. Based on the advantages of fast excitation and fast demagnetization for the proposed MLC and the torque distribution characteristics for each phase winding in the commutation region, a novel torque hysteresis control strategy is developed to improve the torque-following ability of the DITC and achieve the purpose of minimizing the torque ripple in the commutation region. In addition, multiobjective optimization control of the motor is carried out to improve the efficiency of the DITC system while suppressing the torque ripple. The effectiveness of the proposed SRM drive scheme is verified by experiment, which is of great significance for the application of SRMs in electric vehicles.

Due to the high back electromotive force and short commutation time at high speed, the phase current of switched reluctance motor (SRM) is difficult to reach a large value, which limits the output performance of the motor in high‐speed operation. This paper proposes a novel multilevel converter (MLC) with fast excitation and fast demagnetisation capability, which allows each phase to control independently even in overlapping conduction operation and is suitable for SRM with any number of phases. The excitation current in the rising inductance region is increased by high‐voltage fast excitation, thus increasing the phase current level of the motor at high speed; the current tailing in the falling inductance region is suppressed by high‐voltage fast demagnetisation, thereby reducing the generation of negative torque. Based on the novel MLC, a maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) control strategy is designed, and closed‐loop control of the boost capacitor voltage is developed. By optimising control, the output torque and efficiency of switched reluctance motor drive (SRD) are greatly improved, and the constant power operation range is extended. Simulation study and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.