Development of a three-phase three-level inverter for an electric vehicle

Abstract

The development of variable speed AC induction motor drive systems for electric vehicles has been carried out at the University of Canterbury for more than 20 years. A three-phase three-level IGBT inverter has been developed for the University of Canterbury electric vehicle propulsion system. This paper deals with the three-phase three-level inverter switching device selection and inverter construction details. Experimental testing has been undertaken to examine the operating characteristics of the completed three-phase three-level inverter driving one of the electric vehicle motors.