Optimization of Powertrain Platform for Electric Passenger Vehicles

This paper presents a method to optimize an electric powertrain platform, capable of addressing the needs of a wide range of vehicle types while taking advantage of economies of scale and reducing time to market. The optimization includes all electric powertrain components from the electrical machine and inverter to the transmission. The objective is to minimize both the operational and electrical machine cost. Detailed scalable powertrain models are developed and the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) is applied to achieve the optimal design. Results show the benefits and limitations of adopting a platform approach depending on the volumes of the specific applications.