Learning by Research

Thesis Title: Association of an induction motor with a supercharging device: application to an automotive power train.

The transport sector is at the heart of the fight against climate change. The massive development of electric vehicles therefore appears to be a relevant technological solution, provided that the electricity used remains largely carbon-free. However, this development is also accompanied by a number of challenges.
Despite the progress made, the price and range of these vehicles are still major obstacles to their development. Moreover, the energy efficiency of these new modes of transport has also become a major issue. The choice and sizing of powertrain systems has a major impact on these different criteria. It has therefore become essential for car manufacturers to improve the sizing of their electric drives to reduce their energy consumption, to reduce their size (and the quantity of materials consumed) but also to better exploit the potential of these motors according to the operating constraints of the electric vehicle.

This thesis focused on the study of a power electronics device enabling electric vehicle motors to be supercharged (without oversizing them), when they need it, to be able to provide more power punctually. Its effect and benefits offer manufacturers an additional degree of freedom, enabling them to design smaller motors that are particularly optimised for low power (urban traffic), but still capable of reaching the highest power operating points (acceleration) thanks to the supercharging effect. This downsizing strategy offers significant gains in terms of motor size (and the quantity of materials used), but also in terms of energy consumption on cycle of electric vehicles. To illustrate the principle and impact of our system, we can compare it metaphorically with the turbocharger applied to internal combustion vehicle engines. This thesis therefore focused on the creation of a supercharging device adapted to the specific case of electric vehicle engines: the superfluxer.

Key Words: Tesla Model S 60 induction motor, MERS, Behavioural study, Multiphysics modelling, Optimisation-based sizing approach

Doctoral School: ED EEATS - Electronics, Electrical Energy, Automatic Control, Signal Processing
Research laboratory: Laboratoire de Génie Electrique (G2Elab - CNRS/UGA/Grenoble INP-UGA)
Thesis supervision: Laurent GERBAUD, Lauric GARBUIO and Hervé CHAZAL

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