Impact of Electrical Faults on PMSM Performance in Electric Vehicles

This chapter explores Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines, which are favored in electric vehicle traction for their efficiency, power density, and dynamic performance. Despite their advantages, PMSMs can experience faults that affect both operational safety and reliability. In this chapter, we begin by classifying common faults into two main categories: rotor-related faults and stator-related faults which are represented as electrical faults. Moreover, we introduce a detailed mathematical model of PMSMs using the direct-quadrature (dq) frame, which simulates both healthy and faulty conditions, enabling analysis of fault impacts on currents, voltages, and torque. We further explore Field Oriented Control, and explain its key components such as PI controllers and coordinate transformations. Finally, a comparative study based on standard driving cycles (FTP, NEDC, WLTP) is carried out to illustrate how faults impact system performance, providing insights into early fault detection and supporting the development of robust monitoring and fault-tolerant systems.