The system determines that a multiphase electric motor is in a low-speed operating range, near stall. The system determines a duty cycle for each phase of the multiphase electric motor. The duty cycle includes a nominal component and a zero-sequence component configured to balance temperature rises of power electronics devices of the motor drive. Power electronics devices can include diodes, IGBTs, or other switches or devices. The system causes each duty cycle to be applied to a corresponding switch of the corresponding phase of the multiphase electric motor to cause current flow in the corresponding phase. The system may determine duty cycles corresponding to a thermal balance between a switch and a diode of a phase and a thermal balance between a pair of like devices of different phases, and then determine which duty cycle is closer to a predetermined value.