Powertrain modularity

This report specifies the active electronic switches and resistive and reactive passive components, as well as converters' materials such as bus-bars and coolers that will be developed in the RHODaS project.

Based on system and component specifications, a selection matrix is developed and active and passive components to be used on the prototypes are selected, as well as their joining elements, connections and casing.

The report details the results related to the design, fabrication and validation of the compact power modules, including active switches, gate drivers and auxiliary electronics, at a laboratory level conducted as part of the RHODaS project. Thermal degradation and undesirable electrical effects are also studied and presented.

This document presents the analysis, development, and testing of advanced active gate drivers (AGD) for high-power, high-frequency wide bandgap (WBG) devices, specifically focusing on Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. It aims to improve the performance of power converters by reducing circuit losses, overshoots, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) through a novel gate driving approach based on high-frequency PWM. The findings and methodologies are intended to enhance the efficiency and reliability of power electronic systems, particularly in high-power applications like those in the RHODaS project.

Neutral-point-clamped multilevel converters are a suitable solution to the implementation of low–medium voltage and power applications at present, thanks to their intrinsic superior voltage and current quality. The conventional configurations of these converters present uneven power loss distribution, causing thermal stress in some power semiconductors, which weakens the power converter reliability. To overcome this, an implementation of the neutral-point-clamped multilevel converter based on a switching-cell array is introduced, adding redundant conduction paths on one side and more options to distribute the switching losses on the other side. An active thermal control is proposed to balance the temperature distribution in the converter. A four-level converter has been implemented to evaluate the proposed solution. The experimental results show that the proposed implementation and active thermal control presents an enhanced temperature distribution in the converter and, therefore, reduced thermal stress and better reliability

This paper derives and discusses the superiority of a simple dc-link capacitor voltage control configuration for multilevel neutral-point-clamped converters with any number of levels. The control involves n − 2 control loops regulating the difference between the voltage of neighbor capacitors. These control loops are inherently decoupled, i.e., they are independent and the control action of one loop does not affect the others. This method is proven to be equivalent to previously published approaches, with the added advantages of increased simplicity and scalability to a higher number of levels, all while imposing a lower computational burden. The good performance of such control is confirmed through simulations and experiments.

The target of this deliverable is to define the basic sizes (continuous and peak torque and power ratings, mass, expected available packaging envelopes) of the investigated components and systems for case studies. Furthermore, a set of integrated EM-TECH corner modules and on-board electric drive solutions for electric vehicles are defined to cover the widest possible range of vehicle segments. This deliverable also describes the associated machine control such as the cooling control and the inverter control for the new machines, and the vehicle controls to exploit the benefits to vehicle performance brought by the new machines, including the wheel slip control, the motor regenerative braking and braking blending, and the anti-jerk control.

This document describes fault-tolerant control strategies for the SiC/GaN power converter and the eMotor of the RHODaS integrated motor drive (IMD). It outlines control levels within the proposed IMD, details fast response strategies for critical faults managed by the power converter control and defines fault-tolerant control to be implemented by cloud/edge computing for the IMD. The document also addresses potential faults in the power converter and electric motor, discussing feasible fault detection strategies.

This paper is an introduction to the MAXIMA project which aims to design and develop a low-cost modular permanent magnet (PM) axial flux electrical machine (EM) for the automotive market with improved performances while limiting the use of critical raw materials (CRM) and the environmental impact.

A comparison between different slot/pole combinations of axial flux electric machines is presented in this poster. The main objective is to classify these structures according to torque density and electromagnetic performance, based on the specifications of a medium-sized electric car. The study is carried out using 3D-FEA calculations.

The report outlines the design, manufacturing, and validation process for the VOLTCAR electric traction motor. It details the motor's specifications, including a high specific power of 7 kW/kg and a power density of over 23 kW/l, with a rated power of 120 kW. The motor is designed for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, aiming to minimize or eliminate the use of rare earth materials.