Impedance-Based Estimation Method of PWM-Induced Losses for Traction Motors

The efficiency improvement has become an important goal for the powertrains employed on electrical vehicles to minimize the energy consumption. Among the various losses into the electrical machines, the proper estimation PWM-induced losses due to the inverter supply is still challenging due to the advancements of power electronics technology that allowed the introduction of 800V, silicon carbide (SiC) inverters for traction applications. The goal of this paper is to estimate the PWM-induced losses using a simplified impedance model and to compare the results obtained with square wave operation obtained with a power converter. The motor under test is an interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor prototype designed for battery powered electrical vehicles.