Executive Summary

This Code of Practice is aimed at FEV electrical/electronics engineers and designers. Its purpose is to guide them in the design and installation of the components associated with electrical powertrains (such as inverters and cabling) to ensure good Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) of their finished products.

In section 1, an introduction of the issues of the Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in FEVs is presented.

Section 2 concentrates on the noise considerations in inverters. It summarises the origins and reasons for the EMI and presents a typical solution to reduce the EMI in an ideal case for an inverter.

The EMC Design Guidelines are presented in section 3. These include details of good practice, which should be included in the design considerations for inverters to ensure good EMC of the finished product. Alco included is an investigation into the differing screening abilities of a variety of materials that might be used for vehicle bodyshells.

Section 4 describes the most effective mitigation techniques for reduction of magnetic fields generated by the power train (inverter, cables and motor) and protection of other circuits from the fields.

Finally, section 5 includes a study of cable types and configurations, which concludes that the current use of flat cables is not as effective at reducing radiated low frequency fields as trefoil cabling.

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