Research Projects

This project aims to develop axial-flux motor technology for emerging electric vehicles (EVs) to accelerate adoption and meet consumer expectations. Currently, radial-flux motors are used in the EV industry, but extensive research is being conducted to optimize their weight and price. AxIAL-flux machines produce higher torque for a given volume of motor, making them more compact and efficient. The study investigates axial-flux permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) and axial-flux induction motor (IM) based drive technologies for EVs. The axial-flux motor and drive technology designs will be tested, and the system performance will be compared with conventional radial-flux designs. A well-suited axial-flux motor drive for specific EV applications will be delivered, considering parameters such as driving range, peak power/torque, reliability, purchase price, and economic viability. Techniques to improve the reliability of the axial-flux motor under noise and machine parameter uncertainty will also be considered. The developed systems will be experimentally tested to validate smooth dynamic operations under various operating scenarios. This axial-flux based EV drive configuration opens a separate research horizon, such as fault-tolerant/resilient operation, sensor-less operation, and pumping applications. A'make-in-India' fully functional prototype of the axial-flux machine EV drive will be demonstrated with various EV city drive cycles and available for research at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.