Vehicle Electrification

Improve performance and reduce the cost of electric vehicles.

What is Vehicle Electrification?

Vehicle electrification is the process of using electric power to operate vehicle systems instead of, or alongside, internal combustion engines. It includes technologies such as electric motors, battery systems, and hybrid powertrains used in passenger vehicles, commercial fleets, and public transit.

Course Summary

Instruction Time Completion Time CEUs
Vehicle Electrification 3 days Canvas access ends after 30 days 2.75
Learn research-based techniques from a multidisciplinary team at University of Michigan Engineering. Through interactive classroom sessions, you will gain advanced knowledge and learn practical applications in the modeling, design, analysis, and development of hybrid and electric vehicles — with a special focus on electric machines/drives and battery modeling, management, and control.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the major components of electrified vehicles—principle, current status, technology outlook
  • Become familiar with vehicle control hierarchy and power management algorithms
  • Practice concepts with an example case study on the control and design of power-split hybrid electric vehicle
  • Understand basic operation of electric machines, power electronic inverters, and their control systems
  • Compare/contrast performance of different electric machine types
  • Understand the main functions of the Battery Management System (BMS)
  • Apply electrochemical and equivalent circuit battery modeling techniques
  • Evaluate requirements and specifications for battery systems

Course Overview

Day 1

  • Switchmode Circuit Designs
    • Power Electronic Transistors
    • Pulse Width Modulation
  • Loss, efficiency estimation
    • Conduction Losses
    • Switching Losses
  • Thermal Design
  • AC-DC conversion
    • Power factor correction
  • DC-DC conversion
    • Wireless power transfer
  • Battery charging profiles
  • DC machines
    • Permanent magnet
    • Field winding
  • AC machines
    • Permanent magnet machines
      • Surface mount permanent magnet machines
        • Brushless DC machines
      • Interior permanent magnet machines
    • Induction machines
    • Reluctance machines
      • Synchronous reluctance machines
      • Switched reluctance machines

Day 2

  • DC-AC Conversion
  • Control of Electric Drives
    • Torque regulation in DC Machines
    • Torque regulation in AC Machines
      • Field-Oriented Control of AC Machines
      • Control of Brushless DC Machines
    • Field Weakening
  • Electrical loss mechanisms
    • Conduction losses
    • Core losses
    • Magnet losses
  • Permanent magnet types, properties
  • Core materials
  • Winding structures
    • Concentrated vs. distributed windings
    • High-voltage hairpin windings
  • Sources of vibration in electric machines and their mitigation
  • Rotor dynamics
  • Thermal issues
    • Cooling (air/oil/glycol)
    • Thermal design
  • Failure modes

Day 3

  • Torque/power density
  • Efficiency
  • Cost
  • Noise vibration harshness (NVH)
  • Loss modeling
  • Control implementations
  • Battery systems overview
  • Materials cell construction
  • Sensors and connectors
  • Thermal considerations
  • Safety issues
  • Degradation

Who Should Attend

Engineers and managers who are involved in the design and development of hybrid and electric vehicles and/or their key components.

Credentials

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Instructional Team

Al-Thaddeus Avestruz, PhD

  • Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

Heath Hofmann, PhD

  • Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

Jason Siegel, PhD

  • Associate Research Scientist, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

Additional Information

How Vehicle Electrification Used in Industry?

Automotive manufacturers and energy companies use vehicle electrification to design and produce electric and hybrid vehicles that reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. Engineers develop battery systems, electric drivetrains, and charging infrastructure to support large-scale adoption across passenger vehicles, commercial fleets, and public transit.

Skills

Electrification strategy; EV components; power electronics basics; system integration; architecture tradeoffs.

Audience

Engineers, product teams, and professionals entering the EV and electrification space.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does Vehicle Electrification cover? Vehicle Electrification gives professionals a practical foundation in how vehicles shift from combustion-based systems to electric propulsion. The course covers key components, system tradeoffs, and design considerations in electrified mobility.

Who should take Vehicle Electrification? Engineers, product teams, and professionals entering the EV and electrification space.

How is Vehicle Electrification used in practice? These concepts help teams understand the architecture and tradeoffs involved in electrified vehicle development.

Questions Professionals Also Ask

What does vehicle electrification mean? How do vehicles shift from combustion to electric systems? What are EV design tradeoffs?

Related Courses

Battery Cell Manufacturing, Testing, and Design, Li-ion Battery Manufacturing and Safety, Hybrid & Electric Vehicles, Connected & Automated Vehicles, Foundations of Mobility

Get Started

For more information or answers to any questions please email [email protected] or fill out the form.