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Advanced Electrical Drivetrains for Propulsion and Traction Applications

Date: 22/01/2026
Time: 10:00 am
Presenter: Ayman El-Refaie
Abstract: (Sponsored by PELS TC 3) The presentation will cover the following 2 topics: (1) Very high specific power electric drivetrain for aerospace including the motor, modular integrated drive and thermal management system: This part of the presentation will provide an overview of an ARPA-E project led by Marquette University as a part of the ASCEND program to develop very high specific power electric drivetrains for hybrid and electric propulsion for aerospace applications. The target is system specific power of 12 kW/kg. The project introduces novelties in the electric motor, electric drive and thermal management system. These include additively-manufactured coils integrated with heat pipes, modular power electronics tightly integrated with the motor and integrated thermal management system. (2) Low-cost rare-earth free electric drivetrain for EVs/HEVs including the motor, low-cost inverter and thermal management system: This part of the presentation will provide an overview of a DOE project led by Marquette University to develop low-cost rare-earth free electric drivetrains for hybrid and electric traction applications. The target is system cost 12 kW/liter and DC bus voltage > 700V. The project introduces novelties in the electric motor, electric drive and thermal management system. The focus of the presentation will be on the motor side where novel design combining different types of magnets have been developed and evaluated.

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Ayman M. El-Refaie received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2002, and 2005 respectively. Between 2005 and 2016 he has been a principal engineer and a project leader at the Electrical Machines and Drives Lab at General Electric Global Research Center. His interests include electrical machines and drives. Since January 2017 he joined Marquette University as the Werner Endowed Chair for Energy Sustainability. He has over 250 journal and conference publications. He has 50 issued US patents. He is a fellow of the IEEE, IET and National Academy of Inventors. At GE, he worked on several projects that involve the development of advanced electrical machines for various applications including, aerospace, traction, wind, and water desalination. He was the chair for the IEEE IAS Transportation Systems committee and an associate editor for the Electric Machines committee. He was a technical program chair for the IEEE 2011 Energy Conversion Conference and Exposition (ECCE). He was the general chair for ECCE 2014 and 2015 ECCE steering committee chair. He was the general chair of IEMDC 2019. He was the IEEE IAS Industrial Power Conversion Systems Department. He was the IAS Publications Department Chair He is currently serving as IAS president . He is a member of Sigma Xi He received several prestigious awards including the IEEE IAS Industrial Power Conversion Systems Department Gerald Kliman Innovator Award, the 2022 ICEM Arthur Ellison Achievement Award, The PES Cyril Veinott Electromechanical Energy Conversion Award and the PELS Electrical Machines, Drives and Related Automation Technical Achievement Award. He is the recipient of four paper awards.