Green Combustion Cars Drive on Electric (BLDC) Motors

Abstract

Vehicle manufacturers recently have demonstrated impressive fuel economy improvements in combustion engines thanks to the adoption of a range of electrical motors. When the benefits of electrical motors are fully leveraged throughout the engine development cycle, they allow a significant gain in fuel economy without compromising performance and comfort. Through engine down sizing, weight reduction, improvement in aerodynamics and on-demand operation (including starter-alternators for stop-start technology) electrical motors have applied a silent (r)evolution on the combustion engine. The electrified combustion engine is fully equipped to hold back the break through of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles for a significant number of years to come. This paper explains why brushless DC (BLDC) motors are both technically as well as cost wise an ideal solution to implement any type of fan or pump. First the back ground of the fuel savings is analyzed to better understand where the different operating conditions originate from. Furthermore the challenges that these operating conditions impose on sensorless BLDC motor control are being elaborated.