Application of Digital Twin in Electric Vehicle Powertrain: A Review

Digital Twin (DT) is widely regarded as a highly promising technology with the potential to revolutionize various industries, making it a key trend in the Industry 4.0 era. In a cost-effective and risk-free setting, digital twins facilitate the interaction and merging of the physical and informational realms. The application of digital twins spans across different sectors, including aerospace, healthcare, smart manufacturing, and smart cities. As electric vehicles have experienced rapid growth, there is a growing demand for the development of innovative technologies. One potential area for digital twins application is within the automotive sector. The powertrain system of electric vehicles (EVs) consists of three parts, power source, power electronic system, and electric motor, which are considered as the core components of electric vehicles. The focus of this paper is to conduct a methodical review regarding the use of digital twins in the powertrain of electric vehicles (EVs). While reviewing the development of digital twin technology, its main application scenarios and its use in electric vehicle powertrains are analysed. Finally, the digital twins currently encounter several challenges that need to be addressed, and so the future development of their application to electric vehicles are summarized.