Comparison between induction machine and interior permanent magnet machine for electric vehicle application

The purpose of this paper is to make a quantitative comparison between induction machine (IM) and interior permanent magnet machine (IPM) for electric vehicle applications, in terms of electromagnetic performance and material cost.

The analysis of IM is based on an analytical method, which has been validated by test. The analysis of IPM is based on finite element analysis. The popular Toyota Prius 2010 IPM is adopted directly, and the IM is designed with the same stator outer diameter and stack length as Prius 2010 IPM for a fair comparison.

The torque capability of IM is lower than IPM for low electric loading and competitive to IPM for high electric loading. The maximum torque/power-speed characteristic of IM is competitive to IPM; while the rated torque/power-speed characteristic of IM is poorer than IPM. The power factor of IM is competitive and even better than IPM for high electric loading in low-speed region. The torque ripple of IM is comparable to IPM for high electric loading and much lower than IPM for low electric loading. The overall efficiency of IM is lower than IPM, and the maximum efficiency of copper squirrel cage IM is approximately 2-3 percent lower than IPM. The material cost of IM is about half of IPM when IM and IPM are designed with the same stator outer diameter and stack length.

The electromagnetic performances and material costs of IM and IPM are quantitatively compared and discussed.