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Actuators
Special Issues
Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility
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Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 3825

Editors

Dr. Farshid Mahmouditabar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Interests: electrical machines; electric vehicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mehmet C. Kulan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Merz Court, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Interests: applied electromagnetics; magnetic materials; thermal management of electrical machines; finite element modelling of electric motors; alternators for various applications, including e-mobility and aerospace
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As transportation systems evolve toward sustainability and higher efficiency, electric machines and drives are becoming central to these advances. This special issue focuses on the latest methods in design optimization and control strategies that improve the performance and reliability of electric machines and drives used in transportation applications. By blending innovative optimization techniques with advanced control methods, researchers are enabling more energy-efficient, compact, and robust electric propulsion systems. These improvements are crucial for electric vehicles, trains, and other transport technologies aiming to reduce environmental impact while delivering superior performance. This collection invites contributions that cover new modeling approaches, real-time control algorithms, multi-objective optimization, and experimental validations, providing practical solutions to current engineering challenges. Bringing together mechanical design, electrical engineering, and control theory, this special issue highlights how integrated approaches can accelerate the development of next-generation electric transportation systems.

Dr. Farshid Mahmouditabar
Dr. Mehmet C. Kulan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electric machine design optimization
  • control strategies
  • electric drives
  • transportation systems
  • energy efficiency
  • real-time control
  • multi-objective optimization
  • modeling and simulation
  • sustainable transportation
  • experimental validation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 6461 KB  
Article
Design and Experimental Validation of a High-Performance Electromagnetic Contactor for Harsh Environments
by Catherine Cilia, Giada Sala, Redeemer Axisa, Andrea Brincat and Michael Galea
Actuators 2026, 15(5), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/act15050279 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 443
Abstract
This paper presents the design and validation of a compact high-performance electromagnetic contactor for high-current direct current (DC) applications in harsh environments, with particular focus on cold cranking of heavy-duty vehicles. Cold cranking imposes stringent requirements due to elevated current demand, reduced battery [...] Read more.
This paper presents the design and validation of a compact high-performance electromagnetic contactor for high-current direct current (DC) applications in harsh environments, with particular focus on cold cranking of heavy-duty vehicles. Cold cranking imposes stringent requirements due to elevated current demand, reduced battery capability, and tight actuation timing constraints. To address these challenges, a systematic design methodology is used, combining analytical magnetic circuit modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), and experimental validation. The study investigates key design aspects, including magnetic core selection, coil sizing, and contact geometry, under strict dimensional and thermal constraints. An analytical model is first used to predict electromagnetic force and current dynamics, and is subsequently validated using FEA. A prototype contactor is then constructed and experimentally tested to verify the predicted performance. Results show strong agreement between analytical, numerical, and experimental approaches, with force prediction errors below 10% across the operating range. The findings confirm the suitability of simplified analytical models for initial design stages and highlight the impact of material selection and inductance on actuation speed. The proposed workflow provides practical design guidelines for developing compact, efficient, and reliable contactors for high-current automotive applications operating under extreme conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility)
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19 pages, 3421 KB  
Article
Adaptive Parameter Avoidance Control and Safety-Corrected Tracking Framework for Multi-Agent Differential Drive Vehicles
by Wenxue Zhang, Bingkun Shi, Dušan M. Stipanović and Ning Zong
Actuators 2026, 15(4), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/act15040229 - 20 Apr 2026
Viewed by 645
Abstract
This paper presents a closed-form tracking and collision avoidance framework for multi-agent differential drive robots. Existing reactive methods often rely on purely geometric proximity, leading to conservative detours and local minima. A state-dependent adaptive avoidance strategy is developed to dynamically modulate repulsive forces [...] Read more.
This paper presents a closed-form tracking and collision avoidance framework for multi-agent differential drive robots. Existing reactive methods often rely on purely geometric proximity, leading to conservative detours and local minima. A state-dependent adaptive avoidance strategy is developed to dynamically modulate repulsive forces using the time-derivative of fractional barrier risk functions, alleviating unnecessary evasive maneuvers. Within a convergence vector field (CVF) architecture, an active safety-corrected tracking mechanism orthogonally strips hazardous velocity projections from the spatial error. This mitigates the inherent conflict between target tracking and obstacle repulsion. A matrix projection-based Lyapunov approach demonstrates the finite-time convergence of the vehicle orientation, bounded tracking errors, and collision-free properties of the closed-loop system, with effectiveness further validated through simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility)
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23 pages, 5922 KB  
Article
Comparative Study of Stator Electrically Excited Machines with and Without Dual-Armature Windings
by Hui Wen, Bingtuo Chen, Wenting Wang, Yufei Wang and Xiao Qu
Actuators 2026, 15(2), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/act15020115 - 13 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 831
Abstract
To meet the demand for high torque density in applications such as actuators, this paper investigates the use of dual-armature (DA) windings on both stator and rotor to enhance torque performance for stator electrically excited machines. A systematic comparison is conducted among four [...] Read more.
To meet the demand for high torque density in applications such as actuators, this paper investigates the use of dual-armature (DA) windings on both stator and rotor to enhance torque performance for stator electrically excited machines. A systematic comparison is conducted among four topologies, namely the conventional flux-switching electrically excited (FSEE) and variable flux reluctance (VFR) machines, as well as their DA counterparts. All machines are optimized under the same copper loss and torque ripple constraints to ensure a fair comparison. The results show that the FSEE machine delivers approximately 49% higher torque than the VFR machine, attributed to its higher stator back-EMF. By integrating the rotor armature winding that fully utilizes the rotor space, the DA-FSEE and DA-VFR machines achieve substantial torque improvements of 81% and 163%, respectively. While the DA-VFR machine shows the most pronounced torque enhancement, the DA-FSEE machine provides the highest-torque output. Benefiting from the improved torque performance, the DA-FSEE and DA-VFR machines also demonstrate 10–20% higher efficiency over their counterparts within a typical speed range. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis of key design parameters reveals that the split ratio has the most profound influence on torque output for all the machines, followed by the stator tooth width. In the DA machines, the rotor yoke thickness emerges as a consistently important factor for achieving high torque performance. These key findings provide valuable guidance for the optimal selection and detailed design of high-performance electrically excited machines in engineering practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility)
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16 pages, 3160 KB  
Article
MEC-Based Modeling and Design of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines with Axial–Radial Rotor Extensions Using Yoke and Rotor-Side Spaces
by Soheil Yousefnejad, Majid Mehrasa and Parviz Rastgoufard
Actuators 2025, 14(10), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/act14100507 - 20 Oct 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1081
Abstract
This paper proposes a solution to enhance the torque production capability of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM), utilizing not only the unused space resulting from the stator end windings on the rotor side, but also the otherwise unused space around the winding on [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a solution to enhance the torque production capability of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM), utilizing not only the unused space resulting from the stator end windings on the rotor side, but also the otherwise unused space around the winding on the yoke side. By implementing an additional axial rotor equipped with Permanent Magnets (PMs) in both rotor and yoke sides, the proposed design technique increases the PMSM torque output, taking advantage of the useless space on the yoke side. In the proposed configuration, one magnetic flux path circulates between the PMs on the rotor (rotor side) and the stator, while an additional flux path circulates between the PMs positioned on both sides of the stator end windings. These two flux paths contribute to generating a stronger and more effective magnetic field within the machine than conventional structure, resulting in increased torque density. A magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model of the proposed design is developed, and its accuracy is validated through Finite Element (FE) analysis. For a fair evaluation, the proposed structure is compared with a conventional configuration using the same volume of PM material. Furthermore, optimization of the proposed design is carried out to maximize Torque/PM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Electric Machine Design and Control for Sustainable Mobility)
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