CapaciCar - Tomorrow's Technology Today
BLOG 3 - It's All In The Motor
Motor: Power & Speed
06-11-15
Things are really starting to shape now as week seek a design that has real world applications. There is a lot to be learned from current trends of emerging technologies in the electric vehicle market and this week has been focused on selecting the right electric motor configuration. We have decided to use two motors, one to power each drive wheel. This a technique that is beginning to be used in some more high-end electric sports cars to improve handling, such as the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive. Having two motors allows greater speed control and improved handling, allowing the wheels to rotate at slightly different speeds while cornering. Is also allows for smaller motors as the torque is shared between them and saves the weight and mechanical complexity of having a differential. With some great ideas already on the drawing board, the next step is to proceed into detailed design of the motor control system.
Buck-Boost Converter modelled in Simulink
The chassis is continually evolving too, becoming more specific to our vehicle’s needs and allowing increased integration of the power system and steering mechanism. This has been a good opportunity for our sub-teams to be working very closely on the interaction between power system and chassis.
We’ve also been discovering the great benefits of Simulink, allowing us to validate our system design by computer simulation before proceeding with testing. We see the use of computer software as crucial to the success of the project and really appreciate the vast number of applications available to us.
NEXT STEPS...
The interim report is fast approaching and we’re really looking forward to showcasing our design for the CapaciCar to the university staff!