Functional Stability Analysis of all Traction Motor:

Energy Storage System on Autonomous Hybrid

Vehicles
Ion VONCIL, Elena VONCIL, Rzvan BUHOSU
Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to perform a stability analysis of the traction motor assembly - energy storage
system. Therefore, using the programming environment Matlab/Simulink, we rendered a general electric power
system of a hybrid vehicle serial drive, with different integrated types of traction motors. This system was used,
through simulations, to determine specific configurations and to formulate conclusions concerning the stability of
the assembly. Based on these results, recommendations are made on choosing the best integrated hybrid
propulsion for autonomous vehicles.
Keywords: hybrid vehicles, energy storage, functional stability

1. Introduction
The electric vehicles have already
entered the market and large companies
propose different thermal engine/ generator
energy storage system electric traction
motor configurations, able to provide high
reliability and low impact on environment.
An important role in achieving these goals
is held by the functional stability of the
subassembly energy storage system
electric traction motor, which depends both
on the potentiality of the energy storage
system and its dynamic behaviour, and on
the dynamic behaviour of the electric traction
motor.
Although, at first, electric traction and,
particularly, autonomous vehicles were
linked to the use of DC motors,
the
vertiginous
development
of
power
electronics and microelectronics has allowed
the gradual transition to the use of other
types of electric motors such us the
asynchronous and synchronous ones.
Due to constructive and functional
features of each type of engine, it is always
necessary to find those configurations which
allow the execution of stable traction

Ion VONCIL, Reader, Ion.Voncila@ugal.ro

Elena VONCIL, PhD., Elena.Voncila@ugal.ro
and Rzvan BUHOSU, Assist.Prof.,
Razvan.Buhosu@ugal.ro: Universitatea Dunrea de Jos
din Galai, Facultatea de Automatic, Calculatoare, Inginerie
Electric i Electronic, Departamentul de Automatic i
Inginerie Electric, Str. Stiinei, nr. 2, 800146 Galai,
Romnia.

systems for autonomous hybrid vehicles.

On the other hand, using a large number
of configurations is counterproductive and
obstructs progress in this field. Practice
already validated two major configurations
that can be successfully used in traction
systems:
series
configuration
on
autonomous hybrid vehicles and parallel
configuration on electric autonomous
vehicles [1], [2], [3], [4].
The reference for this present analysis is
the
series
configuration
of
power
transmission system of an autonomous
hybrid vehicle, allowing easy integration of
different types of traction motors, the
functional stability of which represents the
main focus of our analysis.
In turn, this paper analyses the dynamic
behaviour of the whole battery-electric motor
assembly for both DC and AC motor classes.
Structural diagrams developed with
Matlab/Simulink programming environment
have considered DC motors, respectively,
asynchronous and permanent magnet
synchronous motors, always using the same
generator - battery system for an easy
comparison of the performances of studied
traction systems.
The standard structural diagram selected
for analysis contains a Li-Ion battery
representing the storage system, this type of
battery being used nowadays in the majority
of such applications. This technology has
significant advantages, such as the use of
lithium, the lightest metal and with special

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

electrochemical characteristics, allowing a

high thermodynamic voltage which leads to
very high specific energy and power [1], [5],
[10]. The batterys characteristics can also
be deduced from figure 1.

45

transition was easily made in order to use

this motor in applications with autonomous
vehicles [7], [8], [9].
This is the reason why DC motor systems
were chosen as reference for this
comparative analysis. Two different types of
alternative motors have been compared:
permanent magnet synchronous motor and
asynchronous squirrel cage motor (induction
motor).
The structural diagrams developed with
the Matlab / Simulink programming
environment have two facets: the diagram of
drivertraction
electric
motor
block,
respectively, the diagram of the integrated
traction system (electric motorelectric
generatorbattery for supply and storage).
2.1 Analysis of systems with DC motor

Figure 1. Discharge characteristic of Li-I battery

The imposed parameters of simulated

battery are:

U N = 230V , C N = 16.5Ah
2. Comparative analysis of functional
stability of traction systems
At macro level, in the electric traction of
non-autonomous vehicles, the DC motor was
and still is widely used, therefore the

Figure 2. The diagram of driver DC motor block

The system with DC motor as traction

motor contains:
storage system (battery),
generator
represented by a DC
machine (derivation excitation) with a
power of 5 CP (3,68 kW) and rated
speed of 1750 rot/ min,
chopper,
driver and DC motor with a power of 5
CP (3,68 kW).
The system with DC motor as traction
motor can be seen in Figure 2 and Figure 3.

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

46

Figure 3. The Simulink diagram of integrated system with DC motor as traction motor

The

assesment

for

speed

are

n 0 = 300rot / min , n 2 = 800rot / min and for

torque T1 = 11Nm ; T4 = 25 Nm .

After the simulations, the obtained results

are presented in Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figure 4. The results of the stability analysis of DC motors systems

Figure 5. The results of stability analysis of systems with DC motor for time domain 0.20 s t 50 s

The results of the DC motor system

case study are:

An important fluctuation of rotor

current appears due to supply and

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

control mode of the DC motor

(chopper).
Due to the rotor current oscillations,
the
directly
proportional
electromagnetic
torque
presents
important
fluctuations
in
their
characteristics. Thus, the average
value of electromagnetic torque is not
appropriate for a smooth drive profile.

47

2.2 Comparative analysis of systems

with synchronous and asynchronous
motors

For the purposes of this analysis, we

first plotted the block diagram of the
system with permanent magnet
synchronous motor as traction motor,
as shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7.

Figure 6. The diagram of driver permanent magnet synchronous motor block

Figure 7. The Simulink diagram of integrated system with permanent magnet synchronous motor as traction motor

This system contains:

storage system (battery);
generator
represented
by
DC
machine with derivation excitation, at
power of 5 CP (3,68 kW) and rated
speed of 1750 rot/ min;

three phase inverter with IGBTs;

driver and permanent magnet
synchronous motor, with a power of 3
CP (2,208 kW) (see Figure 6).
The system with asynchronous motor as
traction motor can be seen in figures 8 and
9 and contains:

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

48

storage system (battery);

generator
represented
by
DC
machine (derivation excitation) with a
power of 5 CP (3,68 kW) and rated
speed of 1750 rot/ min;

three phase inverter with IGBT;

driver and asynchronous squirrel
cage motor with a power of 3 CP
(2,208 kW) (see Figure 9).

Figure 8. The diagram of driver asynchronous motor block

Figure 9. The Simulink diagram of integrated system with asynchronous motor as traction motor

The two drivers are assesed for speed

and

t 0 = 300rot / min , t 2 = 1350rot / min

torque T1 = 11Nm ; T4 = 15 Nm .

After the simulations, the obtained results

are presented in Figures 10, 11 and 12.

Figure 10. Stator current: a) permanent magnet

synchronous motor b) asynchronous
motor

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

Figure 11. Rotor speed: a) permanent magnet

synchronous motor; b) asynchronous motor

From the comparative analysis we can

concluded that:
The
currents through the stator
windings of the two motors have
approximately the same amplitude.
The
asynchronous motor handles
imposed speed better than the
permanent
magnet
synchronous
motor.
Electromagnetic torque oscillations are
higher
at
asynchronous
motor
comparing with permanent magnet
synchronous motor.
Figure 13 shows, in parallel, the results
obtained
for
the
time
domain
1.7 s t 2.6 s.

49

Figure 12. Electromagnetic torque: a) permanent

magnet synchronous motor; b) asynchronous motor

3. Stability analysis of integrated

system motor battery - generator
During the simulation, the generator is
controlled according to the charge level of
the battery (SOC). Therefore, when the
battery is charged at 80 %, the generator is
loaded, the torque is 100 Nm, and when the
SOC of the battery is 40 %, the torque
increases at 250 Nm (green characteristic).
This is compared to the traction motor: a
DC motor with imposed torque 0 t 2000 s
200 Nm and 2000s t 4500s 100 Nm
(blue characteristic).

Figure 14. Stability analysis of integrated system

motor - battery - generator
Figure 13. Comparative analysis results of the
stabilitiy of systems with permanent
magnet synchronous motor and
asynchronous motor

It can be observed that the system

remains stable at charging and discharging
cycles, although the speed behaviour is
decreasing concurrently with decreasing
battery charge levels.

ELECTROTEHNIC, ELECTRONIC, AUTOMATIC, 60 (2012), nr. 4

50
4. Conclusions

This paper demonstrates that the hybrid

vehicle is a versatile vehicle, which can
power the transition from the classic vehicle
with IC motor to the absolute electric vehicle.
Therefore, depending on the configuration,
this vehicle can be used as an electric
vehicle with series transmission or as a
classic vehicle using parallel transmission.
In terms of motors, as traction motors, the
comparative analysis showed that the
asynchronous motor is suitable for electric
traction vehicles when properly constructed.
It has the ability to develop high torques at
given voltages, the torque being proportional
to the square of voltage phase.
The permanent magnet synchronous
motor, for given magnets, has the torque
proportional only with the supply voltage,
hence, the asynchronous motor at the same
voltage may have a smaller torque.
The DC motor has the advantages of
simple commands and a higher torque but
the disadvantage of strong oscillations of the
electromagnetic torque due to its direct
proportion to the intensity of the rotor
current.
Through this work, it has been shown that
the hybrid vehicle, by comparison with the
conventional one, is stable and can achieve
important fuel savings, leading to lower
levels of pollution.
Future work can consider the two
transmission systems in terms of system
efficiency, respectively, fuel consumption
in order to determine which configuration is
more profitable in terms of the costs /benefits
balance.
5. Acknowledgment
This work was supported by the Project
SOP HRD-EFICIENT 61445/2009.
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7. Biography
Ion VONCIL was born in
Bneasa/Galai (Romania), on
March 6, 1962.
He graduated the University
Politehnica, Faculty of Electric
Engineering in Bucharest, Romania, in 1987.He

51

received the PhD degree in electric engineering

from the Dunrea de Jos University of Galati
(Romania), in 2000.
He is Assoc. Professor at the Dunrea de Jos
University in Galati (Romania).
His research interests concern design and
constructive optimization of electric machines,
permanent magnet bearings and couplings,
hybrid and electric vehicles.
Elena VONCIL was born in
Galai (Romania), on August 6,
1982.
She graduated the University
Dunrea de Jos, Faculty of
Electric Engineering and Electronics in Galati,
Romania,in 2006. Masters Degree studies in
2008 at the Faculty of Electric Engineering and
Electronics, Specialization Informatic systems
for Transport Control and Electric Energy
Conversion.
Phd student from 2009 at Dunrea de Jos
University of Galati.
Her recent interests are focused on modeling
and simulation of advanced power sources and
electric vehicle.
Rzvan BUHOSU was born in
Buzau (Romania), on October 17,
1974.
He graduated the University
Dunrea de Jos, Faculty of
Naval and Electric Engineering in
Galai, Romania, in 1998.Masters Degree
studies in 1999 at the Faculty of Naval and
Electric Engineering.
Phd student from 2001 at Dunrea de Jos
University of Galati.
Her recent interests are modeling and
simulation of advanced electric vehicle.