5B13 – Electric Vehicles and Transport Electrification

This postgraduate module provides a focused introduction to electric vehicles and transport electrification, covering the design, modelling, control, and integration of key EV systems. Students will explore electric vehicle architectures, traction machines, motor drives, power converters, onboard chargers, battery systems, charging infrastructure, and grid integration.

Core Topics

  • EV architectures and traction machine technologies
  • Motor drive modelling and control
  • Powertrain inverters, DC-DC converters, and onboard chargers
  • Battery systems and battery management
  • EV charging infrastructure and grid integration
  • Integrated EV system modelling and optimisation

Practical Modelling and Design

Students will complete a coursework project based on a realistic EV engineering problem, such as powertrain modelling, motor control, battery pack design, fast-charger design, or grid-integration analysis. The project will include technical reporting, simulation or design work, and a short presentation or poster.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will:

  • Understand the main architectures and subsystems of modern electric and hybrid vehicles.
  • Analyse and model traction machines, motor drives, converters, batteries, and charging systems.
  • Apply control and simulation techniques to EV powertrain and energy systems.
  • Evaluate battery management, charging infrastructure, and grid-integration challenges.
  • Develop practical modelling, design, reporting, and presentation skills for EV engineering.