Design of an Energy-Efficient Electric Vehicle Drive System

  • Authors

    • Dr. Sandra Miguel University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines. Author

    Published 2026-01-06

  • Electric Vehicle (Ev), Drive System Design, Energy Efficiency, Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor, Power Electronics, Motor Control, Regenerative Braking, Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors

    Issue

    Section

    Articles

    How to Cite

    Design of an Energy-Efficient Electric Vehicle Drive System. (2026). International Journal of Modern Research in Science & Engineering, 1(1), 41-52. https://worldcometresearchgroup.com/index.php/ijmrse/article/view/57
  • Abstract

    The energy efficiency has become a distinguishing performance metric used in electric vehicles (EVs) that has a direct impact on driving range, battery longevity, thermal stability, and overall cost of ownership. Electric motor, power electronics, energy storage interface, transmission, and control algorithms are the main components of an electric vehicle drive system that helps to determine the efficiency of the entire vehicle. In contrast to traditional internal combustion engine drive systems, EV drive systems work over broad torque -speed ranges and under conditions of highly dynamic loads, efficiency optimization is a multi-dimensional engineering problem. In this paper a full-fledged design-based investigation into an energy efficient system of electric vehicle drive system is performed, which incorporates innovations in the choice of motor topology, inverter design, control methods and system-wide energy management of the energy efficient electric vehicle. It is a systematic study of the mechanisms of losses on electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and thermal scales that highlight the importance of co-optimization, but not component-level optimization. An analytical methodology is offered which integrates both analytical modeling and control-oriented efficiency mapping with drive cycles based assessment to inform design compelling choices. The literature review concentrates on how the EV drive system advanced, a DC motor-based system to a current permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) and induction motor (IM) systems, and the replacement of silicon power electronics by wide-bandgap semiconductor devices. The presented through these understandings, there is a hierarchical design-based approach to the context of the proposed methodology, where motor-inverter matching, field-oriented control optimization, regenerative braking integration, and thermal-conscious operating point selection are promoted. Employing simulations in the results have shown efficiency gains measurable through standard urban and highway drive cycles and have also shown decreases in inverter switching losses, increased partial-load motor efficiency and increased regenerative energy recovery. Actual design trade-offs, scalability and future EV implications have been highlighted in the discussion. The paper has ended with research directions in AI-assisted drive control, integrated motor drives, and ultra-high-efficiency power electronics.

  • References

    [1] C. C. Chan, “The state of the art of electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles,” Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 704–718, Apr. 2007.

    [2] M. Ehsani, Y. Gao, S. E. Gay, and A. Emadi, Modern Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Fuel Cell Vehicles, 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2010.

    [3] J. Miller, “Propulsion systems for hybrid vehicles,” IEE Power Engineering Journal, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 81–88, Apr. 2005.

    [4] R. Krishnan, Permanent Magnet Synchronous and Brushless DC Motor Drives. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2010.

    [5] T. M. Jahns, “Torque production in permanent-magnet synchronous motor drives,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 681–689, Jul./Aug. 1987.

    [6] B. Sarlioglu and C. T. Morris, “More electric aircraft: Review, challenges, and opportunities for commercial transport aircraft,” IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 54–64, Jun. 2015.

    [7] Boldea, Reluctance Electric Machines: Design and Control. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2006.

    [8] T. J. E. Miller, “Switched reluctance motors and their control,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 19–30, Feb. 2002.

    [9] J. W. Kolar et al., “PWM converter power density barriers,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 1–14, Jan. 2008.

    [10] J. Millán et al., “A survey of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 2155–2163, May 2014.

    [11] B. J. Baliga, Fundamentals of Power Semiconductor Devices. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2008.

    [12] P. Pillay and R. Krishnan, “Modeling, simulation, and analysis of permanent-magnet motor drives,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 265–273, Mar./Apr. 1989.

    [13] T. Sebastian and V. Gangla, “Analysis of induced EMF waveforms and torque ripple in PMSM drives,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 195–202, Jan./Feb. 2000.

    [14] J. Holtz, “Sensorless control of induction motor drives,” Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 90, no. 8, pp. 1359–1394, Aug. 2002.

    [15] L. Xu and J. Yao, “Loss-minimization control of permanent magnet motor drives,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 57, no. 10, pp. 3446–3454, Oct. 2010.

  • Downloads