Track: Simulation Competition

Abstract

In the realm of electrified vehicle development, vehicle simulations employing drive cycle inputs typically span thousands of seconds. Within this time domain, executing inverter motor control simulations with step sizes smaller than 1ms is not practical. To address this challenge, this research proposes a method of modeling electrified vehicles using an inverter efficiency map predicated on DC bus voltage and current. Theoretical analyses have corroborated that pivotal factors—such as collector voltage and current for Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) and Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET) —are dictated by the DC bus voltage and current, provided that the switching frequency and modulation index are fixed. Hence, power electronics simulations of inverters can be conducted at varying DC bus voltages and currents to create efficiency maps for prospective semiconductors. Tests have been performed on the Silicon IGBT IKW50N60DTP and Silicon Carbide MOSFET C3M0015065K. With the inclusion of the developed efficiency maps, a Tesla Model S vehicle model has been constructed and simulated. The simulation results from the combined Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and Highway Fuel Economy Test (HFET) drive cycle confirm that the SiC MOSFET-based inverter boasts greater and more consistent efficiency than its Si IGBT counterpart.