The advantages of higher-phase-order drives are reviewed, and results of investigations of a five-pulse inverter-fed induction motor are presented. Methods of improving the waveform of the motor phase current in the five-phase drive are examined theoretically as well as experimentally. A mathematical model based on complex symmetrical components is developed for theoretical investigations, and a prototype five-phase inverter-fed induction motor drive is fabricated to conduct experimental studies. Theoretical and experimental results under various operating modes are presented. The studies establish that the five-phase drive operates satisfactorily when it is fed from a pulsewidth-modulated inverter. >