Rapid virtual prototyping of electric vehicles using DQ behavioral model of a brushless DC motor

This paper presents a system level for the effective and rapid design and evaluation of a complete electric vehicle system. Several critical components are examined including the mechanical model of the vehicle, the electric motor (with its associated power electronic components) and the energy storage system.A Brushless DC (BLDC) motor Saber model that integrates the DQ axis transformations within the electro-mechanical motor model is developed that facilitates fast and accurate characterization of the behaviour of the vehicle with a realistic drive cycle and aerodynamic model. The simulated results presented show that the novel Saber model can be a viable solution for behavioural high speed analysis of an electric vehicle drive train. The impact on total vehicle simulation times is significant, with a major reduction in simulation times allowing multiple scenarios and optimization of both the system and electronic control to be rapidly undertaken.