Method of controlling braking of an multi-phase electrical motor

An electrically-powered vehicle has a drive system with a multi-phase electric motor having: a first stator arrangement with three coils e2, e4, e6; and a second stator arrangement, angularly offset from the first stator arrangement, and having three coils e2*, e4*, e6*. The first and second arrangements are connected to respective low side switches 32, 34, 36 (1st arrangement), 32*, 34*, 36* (2nd arrangement) and/or high side switches 31, 33, 35 (1st arrangement), 31*, 33*, 35* (2nd arrangement) for each of the coils respectively. The switches selectively allow current to flow through the respective coils of the first and second arrangements from a power source. For either, or both, of the first and second arrangements, a method of controlling braking of the motor includes either: i) setting any two of the low side switches to a closed state, setting the other low side switch and all the high side switches to an open state; and/or ii) setting any two of the high side switches to a closed state, setting the other high side switches and all the low side switches to an open state. The motor may be a star connected machine including first and second nodes N, N* providing a common connection point of respective terminals of the coils of the respective first and second arrangements. A node switch (40), between the nodes, may be closed during braking.