Performance Improvement of a Switched Reluctance Motor and Drive System Designed for an Electric Motorcycle

Abstract

In this paper, the implementation of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) and drive system for the propulsion system of a two-seat electric motorcycle is described. The overall design focuses on the required vehicle speed, acceleration, driving distance, and overall system cost, as well as reliability. The performance of the three-phase 6/4 pole (six-stator pole and four-rotor pole) and four-phase 8/6 pole (eight-stator pole and six-rotor pole) are investigated and compared by static performance analysis and dynamic performance analysis. Their performance is further investigated by finite element analysis. The indirect torque controller in a drive system for optimal torque and efficiency operation is also mentioned. A methodology for rotor position detection and its hardware implementation are also proposed. The designed 3.5 kW three-phase 6/4 pole SRM and its drive system were constructed and tested on the test bench. A maximum efficiency of about 82% could be achieved for the SRM and drive system. It was also installed on a 120-cc electric motorcycle, and the vehicle’s performance was also validated by on-road and dynamometer testing. The maximum vehicle speed reached was 82 km/h, and a cruising distance of about 98 km at a constant speed of 40 km/h was measured.

Rapid Decision-Making Tool for Electric Powertrain Sizing for Motorcycles during New Product Development

“…Then, the vehicle-level requirements are decomposed into subsystem and component-level requirements. In [30], a requirementbased design flow is suggested for electric motorcycles, where the component sizing is made to meet the subsystem design specifications. However, there are other possible approaches that have been applied especially in resilient system development in aerospace and defence industries [26,28,[31][32][33].…”

Energy Efficiency Improvement of Electric Machines without Rare-Earth Magnets

“…At the same time, the cost of rare earth magnets is high, they are supplied by only a few suppliers, the raw material extraction process for their manufacture is harmful to the environment and there are problems with disposal. This gives good motivation for developing electric machines without rare earth magnets [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…Comprehensive comparative experiments were carried out to verify the results obtained using FEA. In [7], various aspects of the development and manufacture of an electric motorcycle electric drive based on an SRM are discussed. The choice of SRM configuration for this application is discussed.…”