Electric vehicle success depends on strategic powertrain engineering that balances motor selection, voltage platforms, and battery systems through comprehensive simulation, validation, and OEM-manufacturer partnerships to optimize real-world performance.
13 Sep 2025 | 7211 Views | By Vijay Kumar, Tsuyo Manufacturing Pvt Ltd
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are no longer niche experiments—they are the future of mobility. But behind every EV's performance, efficiency, and reliability lies one critical factor: the powertrain. Too often, OEMs underestimate the importance of selecting the right mix of motor, voltage platform, and battery system. This is not just a ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are no longer niche experiments—they are the future of mobility. But behind every EV's performance, efficiency, and reliability lies one critical factor: the powertrain. Too often, OEMs underestimate the importance of selecting the right mix of motor, voltage platform, and battery system. This is not just a hardware exercise; it is a precise engineering balance of simulation, validation, and customization.
The Core of EV Performance: Optimized Motor and Voltage Selection
At the heart of every EV powertrain is the motor and its voltage platform. The motor's rated power and the corresponding voltage level define not only acceleration and gradeability but also efficiency and range. Undersized powertrains may compromise performance under load, while oversized systems waste energy and increase costs unnecessarily. The "sweet spot" comes from rigorous analysis of duty cycles, vehicle load, and geographical conditions. A 200 km city commuter has vastly different requirements compared to a long-haul cargo EV.
Beyond Components: The Need for System-Level Thinking
An EV powertrain is more than a sum of its parts. Motor, controller, battery pack, and electrical layout must be designed as a cohesive system. OEMs must collaborate with manufacturers who can simulate real-world duty cycles to predict performance, validate hardware ratings under load and thermal stress, and customize system architecture to match specific use cases. This system-level design ensures the final vehicle delivers what the end user expects—not just in the lab, but on the road.
Topology Matters: Matching Motor Architecture to Application
The choice of motor topology—SPMSM, IPMSM, SynRM, SRM or axial flux—is not academic. It directly impacts cost metrics through raw material requirements and manufacturing complexity, range efficiency through losses, cooling needs, and torque density, duty cycle sufficiency whether for urban stop-go or highway cruising, and gradeability for handling inclines and loaded conditions. OEMs who overlook motor topology often face mismatches between performance promises and actual delivery.
The OEM-Manufacturer Partnership: A Strategic Decision
Selecting a powertrain is not a transactional purchase. It is a strategic partnership. OEMs should prioritize manufacturers who offer custom-built solutions aligned to the vehicle's Statement of Requirements, provide end-to-end support from simulation and prototyping through validation and production, and maintain after-sales and service readiness. The right partner ensures the EV is not just engineered but also supported for its entire lifecycle.
From Feasibility to Reality: Why Validation is Non-Negotiable
Skipping feasibility or simulation is the fastest route to failure. A robust validation cycle ensures performance across temperature extremes and terrain variations, reliability under diverse driver behaviours, and scalability for future models and upgrades. Validation ensures the EV performs under real-world conditions—heat, dust, gradients, stop-start traffic, and even unpredictable driver behaviour. It is the bridge between theoretical design and real-world success.
Conclusion: The Right Powertrain is the EV's Soul
In the EV ecosystem, the powertrain is not just a component—it is the soul of the vehicle. The motor's topology, the voltage platform, and the carefully engineered battery system together define the EV's personality and performance. For OEMs, the message is clear: don't just buy components—engineer a system. Don't just seek suppliers—build partnerships. Don't just optimize costs—optimize performance for the end user.
A well-chosen, well-partnered powertrain doesn't just power the EV—it powers the future of sustainable mobility.
Vijay Kumar is the Founder & CEO of Tsuyo Manufacturing Pvt Ltd. Views expressed are the author's personal.