Research Progress on Application of Non-oriented Silicon Steel for New Energy Vehicle Drive Motors

New energy vehicles are a critical pathway for the green transformation of the automotive industry and for achieving the “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” goals. As a key soft magnetic material for drive motors, non-oriented silicon steel's magnetic properties (magnetic flux density, iron loss) and mechanical properties (tensile strength, yield strength) directly determine the high efficiency, high power density, long range, high torque, and safety reliability of the motors. Based on the performance requirements of non-oriented silicon steel for new energy vehicle drive motors, the current production status of relevant products by major domestic and international steel enterprises was reviewed. Special attention was paid to analyzing the effects of composition design, steel cleanliness, plastic processing technology, and heat treatment technology on the properties of non-oriented silicon steel. Currently, the performance upgrade of non-oriented silicon steel has entered a critical stage. Facing the future development trend of high rotational speed and high power density in drive motors, breaking through the magnetic performance bottleneck of thin-gauge products, optimizing coating technology suitable for high-frequency operating conditions, and promoting synergistic optimization between non-oriented silicon steel development and drive motor design are identified as the key directions for subsequent research and development. This review aims to provide a reference for the industrial application of high-performance non-oriented silicon steel.