Performance analysis of DTC-SVM in a complete traction motor control mechanism for a battery electric vehicle

The transport sector is essential for socio-economic growth; however, the sector contributes a large portion of global carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, electric vehicles have received increasing attention from various stakeholders in order to provide a solution to the current environmental impact of the transport industry. Current literature on electric vehicle powertrains show that electric vehicles are complex systems, with one of the most essential subsystems being the traction motor control mechanism. As a result, the objective of this paper is to add to the research conducted in the field of electric vehicle powertrains by carrying out comprehensive investigations into the suitability and performance of space vector modulation based direct torque control in the traction motor control system of an electric vehicle with a complete drive system. Initially, a conventional direct torque control mechanism was implemented for control of the traction motor system. The results of the investigation into implementation of conventional direct torque control highlighted the expected issues associated with the mechanism. Implementation of improvements to the conventional direct torque control model, such as the use of a space vector modulation based direct torque control model with closed loop torque control, field-weakening and sensorless control produced significantly favorable results, providing decreased torque and current ripples, operation over a wide speed range, and accurate speed control without the need for mechanical speed sensors. Such results demonstrate that the complete control mechanism investigated is well suited for use in electric vehicle applications.