New Powertrain Configurations Based on Six-Phase Current-Source Inverters for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles

In this paper, new powertrain configurations for heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDEV) are proposed based on current-source inverters (CSI) and asymmetrical six-phase motors. Voltage-source inverters (VSI) are widespread in many applications; however, VSI-based powertrains require a bulky bank of capacitors with a limited lifetime. Recently, powertrains based on the current-source inverter (CSI) are getting more attention to be a more reliable structure for EVs by replacing the dc-link capacitor with a choke inductor. To the authors’ best knowledge, a six-phase CSI-based powertrain is not fully addressed yet. Since the six-phase CSI comprises two three-phase CSIs, multiple configurations can arise based on the connection between the two CSIs. In this context, the proposed powertrain configurations are based on parallel, cascaded, and standalone six-phase CSIs. The standalone topology is based on separating the two three-phase converters by supplying each converter with a dedicated dc-dc converter. All the proposed configurations are studied from the perspective of structure, modulation, and stresses/sizing. A case study highlights the differences and compares the three structures. The comparison is backed by experimental results, and a detailed discussion is provided for concluding a suggested selection of the best-suited topology.