Real-time and hardware in the loop validation of electric vehicle performance: Robust nonlinear predictive speed and currents control based on space vector modulation for PMSM

The transport industry's environmental impact has prompted various stakeholders to focus more on electric vehicles as a potential solution. Extensive research on electric vehicle motor control reveals their complexity, highlighting the crucial role of the traction motor control mechanism being one of their essential subsystems. This study presents a novel approach to control the drive system of an electric vehicle's permanent magnet synchronous motor, using a robust non-linear model predictive control in a cascaded structure combined with a space vector modulation technique. The formulation of the robust non-linear model predictive control law involves optimizing a new cost function with the inclusion of an integral action in the controller to ensure zero steady-state error. An important aspect of this control approach is its ability to enhance robustness without needing information about external perturbations and parameter uncertainties. Moreover, the space vector modulation technique is designed to address the issue of current harmonic distortion by carefully selecting appropriate switching vectors. The appropriate selection for space voltage vectors for every sampling period maintains a consistent switching frequency. As a result, the SVM can enhance torque-rippled regulation and accomplish effective flux and torque control. The performance of the proposed control system is evaluated through a series of numerical simulations using MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results are analyzed and compared to assess the effectiveness of the proposed control system in terms of tracking accuracy, disturbance rejection, robustness against parameter uncertainties, reduction of torque, and current ripples. To further validate the numerical simulation results, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup is established using the OPAL-RT platform. Furthermore, experimental validation on a PMSM utilizing the dSPACE DS1202 board is carried out, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed control system. These findings validate the suggested control technique's robustness and efficiency.