How Hot Can EV Motors Get?

A data-driven approach using test bench measurements collected by the LEA department at Paderborn University

Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash

Electric vehicles are the future and e-motors are a big part of that future.

Engineers around the world aim to improve efficiency and reduce the cost of electric vehicles. In parallel, the primary goal of e-motor designers is to reduce the motor size and cost while improving power output at the same time.

Unfortunately, there is a trade-off between these parameters.

Being able to have strong estimators for the rotor temperature helps the automotive industry to manufacture motors with less material and enables control strategies to utilize the motor to its maximum capability.
A precise torque estimate leads to more accurate and adequate control of the motor, reducing power losses and eventually heat build-up.

The power will increase by pushing more current, however, the temperature inside the motor will also increase simultaneously which leads to component failures and decreased efficiency.

That is why temperature build-up in e-motors should be monitored in real-time which is not easy to achieve especially at the rotary side of the motor. To overcome that difficulty…