Switched reluctance and permanent magnet motors suitable for vehicle drives-a comparison

Electric vehicles have a very broad range of specifications. Each application places different demands on the motor and hence many different technologies are appropriate. This contribution is concerned with motors intended for road-going passenger cars. Attention is further restricted to conventionally constructed cars of mid-range performance, leading to motors rated at approximately 50 kW. The paper compares switched reluctance machines (SRMs) and permanent magnet machines (PMMs) first in respect of size then finally in respect of material cost. It is considered that these two are preferred technologies-PMM because they promise the smallest motors and SRMs because they are likely to be smaller (and ultimately cheaper once volume manufacture builds up) than induction motors