ISCAD - Electric High Performance Drive for Individual Mobility at Extra-Low Voltages

State-of-the-art electrical drives for electric vehicles (EV) run on a battery voltage above 60 V (HV). This paper presents an alternative approach for use in future EVs: The Intelligent Stator Cage Drive (ISCAD) - an extra-low voltage drive for highest performance at battery voltages below 60 V (LV). First of all, the novel drive components are introduced with references to previously published papers on more concept details. A highly parallel set-up is chosen for maximum current capability and extremely low resistances. The novel 60-phase induction machine is made of solid aluminum bars instead of copper windings in the stator and a common squirrel cage rotor. The MOSFET-based inverter individually supplies every single stator bar in order to shape an extraordinarily smooth air gap magnetic field. New degrees of freedom in inverter control are used to continuously adapt the induction machine’s number of pole pairs to ideally match vehicle demand on torque and speed, thus implementing an electrical gearbox. Simulations of the driving cycle efficiency promise great advantages of ISCAD over a HV reference system in electrical machine, inverter and battery. Focus is set on a first low-budget proof-of-principle, which comprises a 3D-printed aluminum stator cage and an 18-phase inverter. Set-up of a test bench and first practical experiences, which confirm the principle of operation, are shown.