Design optimisation of permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance machines for electric vehicle applications

This paper describes the design optimization of a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance machine for electric vehicle applications employing finite element based optimization tool Flux 2D/3D GOT-It. Firstly a preliminary optimisation against key design parameters at the rated load is performed. To maximise the energy efficiency of the traction machine over a defined reference drive cycle - New European Driving Cycle, global optimisation is undertaken using the optimization tool against 12 points representative of the energy distribution of the driving cycle for a given set of vehicle parameters. The utility and effectiveness of the optimization technique and tool have been illustrated through a case study.