Evaluation of Powertrain Architectures for McMaster EcoCAR EV Considering Traditional Electric Machines and Switched Reluctance Machines

There is an increased focus on electrifying powertrains for use in light duty vehicles. All-wheel drive architectures for electric vehicles are covered heavily in literature, with various configurations considered. Existing powertrains often focus on the use of interior permanent magnet motors and induction machines with limited consideration for switched reluctance machines, leaving a gap for a more comprehensive assessment on their use for traction applications. This paper addresses this gap by conducting a systemic evaluation of different all-wheel drive powertrain architecture configurations with the goal of integrating one architecture into a rear-wheel drive 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ. The results indicate the viability of a rare earth metal free architecture using a switched reluctance machine as the primary drive unit, having comparable performance within 12-16% of stock LYRIQ variants in key metrics including energy consumption, range, and peak power.