Researchers at the University of Málaga, working with the Polytechnic University of Madrid, have developed a system that improves electrical current quality and reduces energy losses in motors used in electric vehicles and aeronautics, according to the Andalusian regional government.
The methodology optimises energy consumption and extends operating range, meaning a vehicle can travel further on the same battery charge, the government said in a statement.
Why multiphase motors are harder to control
The research focuses on multiphase electric motors, which can have five, six, nine or more electrical phases, compared with the three phases found in most industrial motors. They are used in electric and hybrid vehicles, aircraft, and advanced industrial applications such as generators and high-speed lifts, offering greater efficiency, power distribution, and fault tolerance.
Their greater complexity also makes them harder to control. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), targets one specific challenge: the dead-time effect, a brief interruption built into electronic converters to prevent short circuits, which can create electrical distortions and reduce system performance.
The DIE-MPC algorithm
To address this, the researchers refined a technique called model predictive control, which allows the system to anticipate the future behaviour of the motor and select the most appropriate control action at each moment, including during signal or power loss.
Mario Durán, a University of Málaga researcher and co-author of the study, told the Descubre Foundation that the algorithm they designed provides important tools for improving current quality, guaranteeing ultra-efficiency in performance and reducing parasitic currents that exist but produce no useful energy.
The algorithm, named Dead-Time Influence Estimation Model Predictive Control (DIE-MPC), estimates and compensates in real time for the impact of dead time on motor behaviour. Durán said that with this additional information, the system makes more precise decisions and reduces the currents responsible for energy losses, overheating, and vibrations.
Test results
The team validated its findings through experimental trials on a test bench in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Málaga’s School of Industrial Engineering, which replicates an electric vehicle propulsion system. The bench includes a six-phase propulsion motor and a second motor that emulates wheel resistance, both coupled and controlled by a microcontroller.
At a control frequency of 20 kHz, the new method reduced unproductive harmonic current components by up to 31.7 percent. Total current distortion fell by nearly 50 percent compared with conventional strategies, and reductions of more than 50 percent were observed in some harmonic components responsible for electrical losses.
Co-author Ignacio González, also a University of Málaga researcher, said all these variables demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm, which translates into less distortion in the electrical current, fewer losses, and therefore greater vehicle range.
The experts said the research opens the door to more efficient use of multiphase motors in next-generation applications. The study was funded by the regional Ministry of University, Industry, Energy and Innovation and by the National Research Plan of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
