Electric vehicle fluid preheater

An electric vehicle powertrain includes a battery configured to couple with an external power source, a power plant including at least one three-phase electric motor, and a power controller configured to receive electrical energy from the battery and to controllably provide electrical energy to the at least one electric motor. The electric motor includes a stator having a plurality of electrical windings and a rotor having a magnetic field orientation, with the rotor being configured to rotate relative to the stator. The power controller is configured to warm an engine fluid by determining the position of the rotor relative to the stator; determining 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 by providing the determined DC currents to the electric motor to resistively heat the fluid.