Axial-flux permanent-magnet brushless dc traction motor for direct drive of electric vehicle

This paper presents the design of an inside-out axial-flux permanent-magnet brushless dc motor for direct traction drive in an electric vehicle. The prototype motor is a double-sided axial-flux permanent-magnet motor with non-slotted stator. The preliminary design had 16 rotor poles, for high torque density and stable rotation at low speed. The design was simulated via Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM) Software, for obtainment of design parameters. The motor was fabricated and tested in an in-wheel test-bed. There exist close agreements between the simulated and experimental results.