Integrated Multiphysics and WLTP-Based System-Level Evaluation of a 130 kW Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor for Electric Vehicle Traction

This paper presents an application-oriented evaluation of a 130 kW interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) for C-segment electric vehicle (EV) traction by linking sequentially coupled multiphysics analysis with WLTP-based vehicle system-level simulation. Conventional motor performance evaluation is based on single-physics analysis at a limited number of operating points. This approach is insufficient to capture nonlinear characteristic variations under changing operating conditions or to reflect realistic driving environments. To overcome this limitation, sequentially coupled multiphysics analysis incorporating electromagnetic, thermal, and structural characteristics was performed, and the resulting loss data were incorporated into a vehicle system-level simulation model. The WLTP Class 3b driving cycle was applied to quantitatively evaluate energy performance under realistic driving conditions. The results show that the designed IPMSM satisfies the target output power of 130 kW, while its electromagnetic, thermal, and structural characteristics, including torque ripple, back-EMF, winding temperature, permanent magnet temperature, and rotor stress, remain within acceptable limits. The system-level analysis further indicates that the motor operating points during driving are predominantly distributed in the high-efficiency region, and that the final energy economy considering regenerative braking reaches 5.59 km/kWh, with an estimated maximum driving range of 352.58 km on a single charge. These results indicate that the combined motor-level and vehicle-level numerical evaluation can provide useful design-stage information for assessing high-power-density EV traction motors.