Design, Prototyping, and Testing of a Dual-Rotor Motor for Electric Vehicle Application

Permanent magnet motors and induction motors are used in many electric vehicles (EVs) and synchronous reluctance motors have been used in some experimental EVs. However, none of them meet all the objectives of high efficiency, high power density, and low cost. In this paper, a dual-rotor motor (DRM) is proposed with potential application in EVs. The proposed motor is a proof of concept and is unique because it uses a synchronous and an asynchronous rotor. A conceptual analysis and mechanical configuration of this motor are presented in this paper, and the experimental demonstration of its working principle is also presented. The preliminary results, presented in this paper, show that a DRM with two different rotor types (synchronous and asynchronous) is feasible, and this opens a new direction in R&D of such motors.