Advantages of a double three-phase winding layout for a dual rotor e-bike motor considering third current harmonic injection technique

The transportation electrification process is rapidly demanding for drivers with enhanced performance. Modern systems are moving from fossil fuel technologies toward hybrid and fully electric solutions. Consequently, in automotive and motorcycle sectors the complete electrification process requires significant power and energy capabilities, and high efficiency. Also, to minimize the mechanical power loss and save the battery energy, the weight and volume of the vehicle have to be minimized. These features are significantly stressed in race applications, where the power density of the drive and its efficiency has to push the limits of state of the art. In this work, a multiphase machine with dual rotor architecture is employed, aiming at maximizing the performance of a full electric motorcycle (E-Bike). In particular, it is already known that in multi-phase machines it is possible to inject high frequency current component to increase the power density of the drive. Therefore, the analytical model for the injection of a third harmonic in the currents waveforms is presented for a case study of E-Bike featuring a dual rotor with Halback permanent magnet array. The third current harmonic is injected keeping the same peak current, when compared with the control technique without injection. The three-phase and multiphase winding layout of the machine are compared with and without current injection control by means of analytical equations. Finally, finite element results are shown in order to validate the model, the advantage of the multiphase winding and the current injection technique.