Exploring carbon nanotube-copper composites for enhanced induction motor design in electrical vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) significantly improve environmental sustainability by eliminating exhaust emissions, therefore enhancing air quality and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The efficacy and performance of electric vehicles are largely contingent upon their electric motors. Induction motors (IMs) have significant advantages for EVs, such as control flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and improved thermal management, rendering them a favoured option for traction applications. This study presents a 5 Horsepower (HP) three-phase induction motor employing novel Carbon Nanotube-Copper (CNT-Cu) as alternatives to traditional conductive materials, such as copper, in electric vehicles. CNT-Cu improves conductivity, thermal stability, and weight reduction of IM windings. The design phase utilises the ANSYS RMxprt tool, succeeded by a comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) with ANSYS Maxwell 2D, guaranteeing precise simulation-based validation of the proposed motor design. The simulated results include efficiency, output power, torque, and air gap flux density, indicating that CNT-Cu composites enhance electrical and mechanical performance relative to traditional copper windings. The findings have been compared with traditional copper-wound induction motors, confirming the viability of CNT-Cu composites for high-performance electric vehicle motor applications. The results validate that CNT-Cu composites have considerable promise for advanced electric motors, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing weight in electric vehicle powertrains.