Motors & Drives

Asynchronous and syncrhonous motors, IGBT and SiC MOSFET (Silicon Carbide MOSFET) inverters or controllers. Model3 - PMSRM, Permanent Magnet Switched Reluctance Motor.

Electric cars have used over hundred years brushed DC motors. 21 century electric cars all are equipped with motors without brushes because brushes can wear out about 20 000km. In 2010 Japanese manufacturers Nissan and Mitsubishi started manufacturing or found manufacturer of brushless direct current motors (BLDC). American companies have used AC induction motors starting from 1996? GM EV1 and later Tesla Model S. Audi E-tron uses also AC induction motor. Those two main types of motors both are wery reliable. AC induction motors are known for good price and super good reliability from manufacturing and workshops it is main motor type wich allowed or lead to industrial revolution wich needed to get rid of steam maschines and build factories more efficiently and save energy. Some have tried to use bigger AC induction motor from lathe or drill press on a converted car. But its not that easy. I have driven one in Räpina Dacia Sandero wich made on some rpm's same noise as lathe but it drove and more than 100km on one charge. Unfortunately the car was not as fast as it use to be with petrol ICE engine. GM, Tesla and others have designed special AC induction motor for their cars. Those motors are liquid cooled some have controllers integrated. All of them are attached to special reducer and differential. Also there are many modifications compared to industrial motors wich makes them better suited for traction application. Tesla used this type of motor mainly to get 416 hj (310 kW) and 600 Nm of torque. It was needed to outperform most ICE cars at 2012. They did quite well, it was five door luxury electric car with 5 seats and was faster at 0…100km/h then most supercars Tesla rear drive did it in 3,2seconds.

Tesla Model S rear motor