Vector Control of Induction Motor Drive in EVs with DESS: Eliminating Current Sensors and Enhancing Battery Life

Electric Vehicles (EVs) require energy sources that possess both high energy and high power density. However, individual sources of energy such as batteries, fuel cells, and ultracapacitors (UCs) cannot fulfill both power and energy demands. To address this, a dual energy storage system (DESS), which combines a battery and UC as an onboard energy source, is utilized in EVs. This paper introduces a method for controlling induction motor (IM) drive in EVs without the need for current sensors equipped with a DESS i.e., battery and UC. The current control logic divides the demanded current between the DESS components using Average Current Mode (ACM) control. Furthermore, the controller ensures a constant DC link voltage. Moreover, the estimation of currents is done by utilizing stator voltage and rotor flux in an alpha-beta reference frame for vector control of the IM drive. To emulate an electric-drive vehicle, a motor-dynamometer setup is employed, taking into account all the vehicle forces acting and vehicle inertia on the drive motor (DM). Simulation is conducted using MATLAB/Simulink and a predetermined driving cycle i.e., New York City Cycle (NYCC). The simulation results shows the effectiveness of the vector control method for the IM drive without current sensors, and the inclusion of the UCs improves the battery life.