Many automotive engineers got great background working for many companies producing classic internal combustion engine vehicles. There are many things related to electricity with classic vehicles like engine ignition system, powering auxiliary lights and many other electrical devices. So, these genuine issues related to car electrical systems are present way back from the first classic vehicles. Although there are great many differences in concept of complete propelling the vehicle with electric motors and helping to propel. Electro technology related to car production got great and very dynamic changes during time. Many electric devices is helping classic internal combustion vehicles to move more safely, to gather more information of what’s going on in all vehicle’s systems, to make travel more powerful and more comfortable. Complete operating of today’s “classic” vehicles is unimaginable without using great deal of electro components. They are everywhere. In the engine, near the engine, in cooling and heating systems, steering systems, braking and so on. Braking and steering systems are rapidly moving to electric control and electromagnetic power these days. So implementing electrical energy into vehicles got home ground with ages. It’s only natural to use electrical energy to completely propel the vehicle without need of internal combustion engine. It could be done with great positive impact to environment and to whole mankind. Pollutants and noise can, and will be in the past memory of future mankind.

Electric motors that nowadays are used to propel electric and hybrid vehicles got some characteristics differing from industrial electric motors. Motors used in vehicles need to satisfy many conditions. Frequent starts and stops, high ratio of acceleration and deceleration, low torque on high speed movement, high torque on low speed climbing. The electric motor propelling electric and hybrid vehicles can be sort into 2 groups:

commutator motors

commutatorless motors

Commutator motors usually represent traditional DC motors. They can provide great deal of adjustable speed, frequent starting, stopping and reversing. Principle in DC motors operation is straightforward and it consists of field system (stationary) and armature commutation system (rotating).

The performance of DC motors, practically can be expressed by the armature voltage, field flux and electromotive force.

Typically, there are four types of wound-field DC motors, depending on the mutual interconnection between the field and armature windings. They are separately excited, shunt excited, series excited, and compound excited.

Electric propulsion systems are one of the most important parts of any electric or hybrid vehicle. In fact these systems represent heart of electric and hybrid vehicles and they are consisting of electric motors, electric controllers and power converters. Electric motor is converting electric energy into mechanical energy. Mechanical energy is needed to propel the vehicle. Another part of electric motor is to enable regenerative breaking which considerably charge vehicle battery.

Electric controllers are giving control signals controlling the electric motor operation, producing required power and torque. Electronic controller is divided into these units

Sensor

Processor

Interface circuitry

Sensor is translating measured quantities like temperature, torque, voltage, speed, and flux into electric signals trough interface circuitry. All signals are imposed to some sort of conditioning before being submit to processor. Output signals from processor usually are amplified to the certain level enabling easier further use.
Power converter is unit supplying electric motor with proper voltage.
In order to define appropriate electric propulsion system for any electric and hybrid vehicle, there are a lot of factors needed to be specified. Maximum speed, acceleration, braking, climbing capability, range, vehicle weight and volume.