Multi-Phase Linear Generator for Electric Vehicle Applications

The oil production peak and the major climatic changes due to global warming determined all the major vehicle manufacturers to focus their attention on new, non-polluting, energy efficient technologies. The electric vehicle seems to be the easiest to implement, the most important drawback being related to the available energy storage capabilities. The Hybrid Electric Vehicle was introduced as an intermediate step, using Internal Combustion Engines to the required electric energy produce on-site. A particular solution is using a Free Piston Engine Linear Electric Generator with several advantages compared to classical solutions. The current paper presents a multi-phase linear generator topology, along with a novel design method and some FEM simulations that validate the design procedure.