Porsche's E-motor Design Optimization using Altair's Multiphysics Solutions

• Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
• Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors

• Automotive
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Porsche AG, a renowned automotive company, was faced with the challenge of improving the total design balance in e-motor development. The powertrain of electric vehicles had to be developed considering an increasing number of internal, customer, and legal requirements. Classical development strategies involved individual development routes for different requirements and different organizational structures responsible for fulfilling these requirements. This led to development taking place in several parallel disciplines, often resulting in negotiations and unfavorable compromises to reach a final acceptable design. Porsche aimed to adopt more integrated and holistic development strategies to better meet future requirements without significant sacrifices on target fulfillment. The challenge was to design optimization strategies that accounted for different requirements resulting from different physical phenomena simultaneously, i.e., multiphysics optimization.

Porsche AG is a globally recognized automotive company known for its high-performance cars. In response to the challenge of E-mobility, Porsche is developing high-performance electric powertrains that meet every Porsche standard in terms of performance, fuel efficiency, driving dynamics, and everyday practicality. The company is committed to improving the total design balance in e-motor development and is keen on adopting more integrated and holistic development strategies to better meet future requirements without significant sacrifices on target fulfillment. Porsche is dedicated to innovation and is always looking for ways to enhance its products and services to provide the best possible experience for its customers.

Porsche AG partnered with Altair, a software and consulting company specializing in simulation, optimization, and high-performance computing, to tackle the challenge of improving the total design balance in e-motor development. Altair's suite of tools, including Altair Flux, Altair FluxMotor, Altair OptiStruct, and Altair Activate, were used to create a process for multiphysics e-motor optimization. The classical motor efficiency/power design problem was coupled with other physics to account for thermal effects, structural boundary conditions, and vibrations. The effects of the inverter on the motor performance were also evaluated by integrating both controls and physical modeling. The design optimization aimed to maximize torque and power under defined driving conditions while keeping rotor stresses, motor vibrations, and motor temperature within certain limits. The design process accounted for both individual motor design points and evaluation in standardized driving cycles using reduced order models based on data provided by full-order models in the Altair suite of tools.

• The collaboration between Porsche and Altair resulted in a more integrated and holistic approach to e-motor development. By coupling different physics to account for thermal effects, structural boundary conditions, and vibrations, the total design balance was significantly improved compared to classical motor design methodologies. The process also accounted for the effects of the inverter on the motor performance, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of the e-motor's performance. The design optimization process maximized torque and power under defined driving conditions while keeping rotor stresses, motor vibrations, and motor temperature within certain limits. This approach has the potential to revolutionize multiphysics e-motor development in the coming years.