What is it about?
This paper presents a simulation-based framework, developed in Matlab/Simulink, to evaluate the use-phase performance and environmental impacts of an Axial Flux Permanent Magnet (AFPM) electric traction motor. By simulating longitudinal vehicle dynamics over various standard and custom driving cycles (such as WLTC, FTP-75, JC08, and the real-world urban "ASTERICS" cycle), the model calculates net energy consumption per kilometer. It then translates this energy consumption into specific environmental indicators (Global Warming Potential, Abiotic Depletion Potential, and Acidification) based on region-specific electricity production mixes (Europe, US, Japan, and Italy) sourced from the Ecoinvent database. This scalable approach serves as a robust decision-support tool during the early stages of sustainable vehicle design.
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Why is it important?
As the automotive sector transitions to electric mobility, assessing the full life-cycle environmental impact of traction systems becomes crucial, particularly during the use phase, which typically dominates the product's carbon footprint. High-performance electric motors often utilize Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) like rare-earth elements in permanent magnets and strategic metals like copper in stator windings. Design modifications intended to lower production-phase impacts or improve end-of-life disassembly can sometimes compromise the motor's operational efficiency, leading to higher electricity consumption on the road. This research is important because it provides a holistic, early-stage evaluation framework that allows designers to quantify these trade-offs, ensuring that eco-design choices lead to genuine environmental benefits across the entire life cycle.
Perspectives
Electric vehicles are crucial for reducing urban pollution, but their overall green credentials depend heavily on how the electricity used to charge them is generated. This study introduces a computer simulation tool that tests advanced electric motors across different types of vehicles and driving conditions in various parts of the world, including Europe, the US, and Japan. Interestingly, the research shows that making a motor easier or greener to build by accepting a small loss in its energy efficiency is often a bad environmental deal. In our test case, after driving just 40,000 kilometers (around 25,000 miles), the extra electricity used on the road completely wiped out the initial environmental savings made during manufacturing. This tool helps designers easily weigh these complex trade-offs, ensuring future electric vehicles are as clean on the road as they are to manufacture.
Maurizio Guadagno
Universita degli Studi di Firenze
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Simulation Approach for the Impact Assessment of an Axial Flux Traction Motor Applied on Road Electric Vehicle, November 2025, SAE International,
DOI: 10.4271/2025-32-0077.
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