Adaptive Flux Based Speed Estimation of Syn-Rel Motor Drive for Electric Vehicle with Solar-PV Assistance

Sensor reduction is a vital need in electric vehicle (EV) drive based on synchronous reluctance motor (Syn-Rel) to increase reliability and to save cost. However, adopting sensorless control to achieve a smooth and successful wide speed range still remains a challenge. This paper presents the adaptive flux estimator-based speed sensorless control of Syn-Rel motor drive with reliable integrated system. The adaptive speed and position estimation mitigates sluggishness of the drive for both low and high speed of operation of a Syn-Rel motor drive as compared to a basic stator flux linkage method of speed estimation. The estimated flux linkage and back EMF are always maintained orthogonal with adaptive flux based (AFB) algorithm for improved speed and position estimation. It also addresses a solar-assisted system, which is hence used for augmenting battery performance of an electric vehicle. The presented system is validated in MATLAB/Simulink and system performance is thoroughly discussed. An experimental investigation is performed on a hardware prototype developed in the laboratory considering dynamics of EV.