An Analog Centric Smart Motor Drive for Sustainable Electric Mobility

Abstract

This paper presents the design and development of an analog-centric motor controller for electric mobility applications. The proposed system eliminates dependency on complex firmware by utilizing a fully hardware based control architecture. The PWM control stage drives a MOSFET based power stage through an efficient gate driver, ensuring stable and reliable operation. The design focuses on affordability, ease of repair, and reliability using domestically available components. Experimental validation confirms smooth motor operation, stable dutycycle control, and effective protection, making the system suitable for low cost and sustainable electric vehicle applications.

Introduction

The text describes the design and development of an analog-based motor controller for electric vehicles, particularly electric bicycles and small EVs. It highlights the growing need for simple, reliable, and low-cost motor control systems to support sustainable transportation, especially in rural and resource-limited areas where complex microcontroller-based systems can be difficult to maintain.

Existing EV controllers typically rely on embedded, firmware-based microcontroller systems using PWM control. While these offer advanced features, they increase cost, complexity, and maintenance difficulty, and are often not easily repairable.

To address these issues, the proposed system introduces an analog-centric motor controller that eliminates software dependency. It uses a hardware-based PWM generation system driven by throttle input to control a PMDC motor. A totem-pole driver stage ensures efficient MOSFET switching, while a TFT display and web dashboard (using ESP32 and OpenStreetMap) provide real-time monitoring and navigation features.

Waveform analysis of PWM signals at different duty cycles (10%, 50%, and 90%) confirms smooth, stable, and linear speed control without distortion. Hardware implementation on a prototype shows reliable performance, smooth motor acceleration, and stable operation under varying loads.

Conclusion

The experimental results validate the implemented design of an energy-efficient E-cycle controller developed for reliable propulsion. Hardware testing confirmed stable PWM generation and smooth torque response under varying load conditions, ensuring efficient operation. The results demonstrate the practicality and robustness of the proposed system, making it a suitable solution for low cost electric mobility applications.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Dr. S. Parthasarathy, S. Yoga Deva, K. H. Sabarinath, V. P. Goppi, K. J. Hariharan, R. Thangasankaran. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.