Patent ID: 8800521

Claim:
An electric vehicle powertrain comprising: a battery configured to couple with an external power source; a power plant including at least one three-phase electric motor, the electric motor including a stator having a plurality of electrical windings and a rotor having a magnetic field orientation, the rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator; a power controller configured to receive electrical energy from the battery and to provide electrical energy to the at least one electric motor in a controlled manner; wherein the power controller is configured to determine the position of the rotor relative to the stator, to determine a DC current for each of the three motor phases such that the electromagnetic field of the stator mirrors the magnetic field orientation of the rotor; and to provide the determined DC currents to the electric motor; wherein the electric vehicle powertrain further comprising a fluid circuit in communication with the electric motor, the fluid circuit including a fluid pump configured to circulate a fluid within the fluid circuit, and wherein the power controller is configured to provide electrical energy to the fluid pump; and wherein the respective DC currents provided to the electric motor are configured to resistively heat the fluid within the fluid circuit.