Mazda Motor Corporation is planning to complete the electrification of all vehicle models by 2030 and is currently working together with various partner companies on a range of electrification-related research projects that are also designed to stimulate the local economy and contribute to the development of local industry and innovation.... Read more →
ZF is presenting new electric drives for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. This latest generation of e-drives advances power density and energy efficiency due to numerous innovations at both the component and system level. These include the compact design of the drives, power electronics, and a resource-saving use of... Read more →
The Nikkei reports that Japan-based motor maker Nidec is planning to invest an estimated ¥100 billion (US$715 million) to build an e-axle plant in Mexico. The company is currently producing e-axles in China and Europe but will start making them in North America as well ahead of an expected surge... Read more →
Wolfspeed and BorgWarner announced a strategic partnership that calls for BorgWarner to invest $500 million in Wolfspeed’s new $1.3-billion financing transaction in exchange for a silicon carbide device capacity corridor. Wolfspeed intends to offer, subject to market conditions and other factors, $1.300 billion aggregate principal amount of its Convertible Senior... Read more →
AMP, a global provider of connected battery management and charging technologies for electric mobility, announced the integration of Wolfspeed’s E-Series Silicon Carbide MOSFETs into AMP’s e-mobility Energy Management Unit (EMU). Using Wolfspeed’s innovative Silicon Carbide technology allows AMP to optimize battery performance, charging, and costs. AMP’s EMU is a combination... Read more →
for Jaguar Land Rover and Wolfspeed announced a strategic partnership for the supply of Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors for next-generation electric vehicles, delivering increased powertrain efficiency and extended driving range. Under its Reimagine strategy, Jaguar Land Rover is transforming to an electric-first business, to become carbon net zero across its... Read more →
Hillcrest Energy Technologies, a developer of power conversion technologies and control system solutions for next-generation electrical systems (earlier post), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a global Tier 1 automotive leader in mobility innovation. According to the terms of the MOU, Hillcrest and the supplier will collaborate to integrate... Read more →
Hillcrest Energy Technologies, a developer of power conversion technologies and control system solutions for next-generation electrical systems, and Hercules Electric Mobility, a company bringing electric propulsion systems to market for recreational boating and marine applications, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Under the terms of the MOU, the companies... Read more →
Bosch is starting volume production of a new drive unit consisting of an electric motor and an integrated inverter for light commercial vehicles. The inverter controls the electric motor and provides the connection to the high-voltage battery. Compared to its predecessors, the new unit provides even higher power and torque... Read more →
Wolfspeed, a global leader in Silicon Carbide technology, will build a new multi-billion-dollar Materials manufacturing facility in Chatham County, North Carolina. The investment is targeted to generate a more than 10-fold increase from Wolfspeed’s current Silicon Carbide production capacity on its Durham campus, supporting the company’s long-term growth strategy, accelerating... Read more →
Sandia National Laboratories researchers recently delivered electricity produced by a new power-generating system to the Sandia-Kirtland Air Force Base electrical grid. The system uses heated supercritical carbon dioxide instead of steam to generate electricity and is based on a closed-loop Brayton cycle. The Brayton cycle is named after 19th century... Read more →
Based on new business awards and actions announced to date, BorgWarner believes it is already on track to achieve approximately $3.7 billion of electric vehicle revenue by 2025. The company now expects its 2022 electric vehicle revenue to grow to approximately $850 million—more than double what it was in 2021.... Read more →
Germany-based innolectric AG, a provider of charging and power systems for electromobility, and Brazil-based niobium company CBMM are investigating whether nanocrystalline magnetic materials can significantly increase efficiency in electromobility. As part of the joint research work, an innovative soft magnetic core material with niobium is being tested in direct application... Read more →
Renault Grou and Vitesco Technologies are entering a strategic partnership for the joint development and the production of power electronics in a “One Box” for electric and hybrid powertrains. Under this agreement, both partners will join their forces, contributing by their know-how and experience jointly to develop a power electronics... Read more →
Marelli has developed a new platform of 800V Silicon Carbide (SiC) inverters. Marelli presented the platform for the first time at the International VDI Congress “Dritev” (Drivetrain Transmission Electrification in Vehicles), held in Baden Baden, Germany, on 6-7 July. Due to its excellent performance at high temperature and high voltage—enabling... Read more →
From 2025 onwards, the next generation of BMW e-drives will be manufactured in its engine plant in Steyr, Austria—with both production and development on site—with eventual annual production capacity of more than 600,000 units. The BMW Group will be investing around €1 billion in competence development in this area between... Read more →
GKN Automotive has launched its next-generation inverter,v ompatible with advanced 800V electric vehicle technology. The upgraded product features a range of efficiency and lightweighting improvements to deliver market-leading performance and enhanced sustainability. The next-gen inverter, one of three modular elements of GKN Automotive’s eDrive platform, offers a 20% power output... Read more →
A new high-volume manufacturing facility will deliver products developed for the collaborative e-MOTIF project (electric MOTor, Inverter, Flywheel). Utilizing the manufacturing capability of Shield Engineering Group, the project will employ EMPEL’s e-Motor and PUNCH Flybrid’s “F-Boost” Flywheel Energy Storage System. The manufacturing facility will enable EMPEL’s electric motor and inverter... Read more →
Turntide Technologies is launching Turntide Electrification, a suite of world-class battery and powertrain components made to decarbonize commercial and industrial transport segments including, off-highway vehicles, autonomous guided vehicles, construction, trucks and buses, marine, and passenger rail. While the electrification of consumer cars and trucks has received a lot of attention... Read more →
Schaeffler is introducing 4in1 electric axle drives. Until now, up to three drive components were assembled in one compact unit. With the 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is now going one step further by integrating the thermal management system as well as the electric motor, power electronics, and transmission into the... Read more →
Hillcrest Energy Technologies, a Canada-based a clean technology company developing power conversion technologies and control system solutions for next-generation electrical systems, has filed a patent application for a simplified EV charging solution. Initial proof-of-concept lab testing confirms the ability of the enhanced powertrain solution to provide universal, backward compatible, bidirectional... Read more →
SAKOR Technologies recently provided Nexteer Automotive with a dynamometer test system designed to test high-speed motors and inverters in hybrid and electric vehicle designs. Nexteer, a multibillion-dollar global steering and driveline business, will use the dynamometer system to test its new line of complete electric vehicle propulsion systems. The system... Read more →
Power management company Eaton introduced a family of 48-volt DC-DC converters for diesel-powered commercial vehicles that can be used to power accessories such as antilock brakes and lighting. Unlike competitive offerings, Eaton’s DC-DC converters are operational in ambient temperatures up to 85 ˚C and boast 97% design efficiency. DC-DC converters... Read more →
onsemi announced that China-based EV maker NIO chose the latest VE-Trac Direct SiC power modules from onsemi for its next-generation electric vehicles (EVs). The silicon carbide (SiC)-based power modules enable longer range, higher efficiency and faster acceleration for EVs. The collaboration of the two companies is expediting the commercialization of... Read more →
Qorvo, a provider of innovative RF solutions, announced a next-generation series of 1200V Silicon Carbide (SiC) Field Effect Transistors (FETs) with industry-leading figures of merit in on-resistance. The new UF4C/SC series of 1200V Gen 4 SiC FETs are suited for mainstream 800V bus architectures in onboard chargers for electric vehicles,... Read more →
STMicroelectronics is supplying silicon carbide (SiC) technology for eMPack electric-vehicle (EV) power modules from Semikron, a leading manufacturer of power modules and systems. This is the result of a four-year technical collaboration between the two companies to design-in ST’s advanced SiC power semiconductors for superior efficiency and industry-benchmark performance in... Read more →
Vitesco Technologies has landed a €2-billion contract to supply its new generation axle drive EMR4 (Electronics Motor Reducer) to Hyundai Motor Group. The order was already mentioned in March at Vitesco Technologies’ annual press conference without naming the customer. The highly integrated 400 V/160 kW 3-in-1 unit will be used... Read more →
DENSO Corporation and United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd. (USJC), a subsidiary of global semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), have agreed to collaborate on the production of power semiconductors at USJC’s 300mm fab in order to serve the growing demand in the automotive market. An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)... Read more →
Wolfspeed, Inc. officially opened its Mohawk Valley Silicon Carbide fabrication facility in Marcy, NY with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Federal and State Officials. The 200mm wafer fab will help lead the industry-wide transition from silicon to Silicon Carbide-based semiconductors. As a key partner, Lucid Motors had the honor of “cutting... Read more →
LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture (JV) between LG Electronics (LG) and Magna International Inc. (Magna), celebrated the groundbreaking of its new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new facility will produce inverters, motors, and on-board chargers to support General Motors’ electric vehicle (EV) production.... Read more →
BluE Nexus Corporation, AISIN CORPORATION, and DENSO Corporation jointly developed an eAxle for Toyota’s new battery-electric bZ4X. (Earlier post.) BluE’s first eAxle has achieved excellent dynamic performance and downsizing and helps vehicles increase their electric mileage. BluE was established in April 2019 to develop and sell electric systems and driving... Read more →
Altair, a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), acquired Powersim, a provider of simulation and design tools for power electronics, including power supplies, motor drives, control systems, and microgrids. This acquisition expands Altair’s electronic system design technology into the domain of power electronics. Powersim has established a... Read more →
Transphorm—a pioneer in and global supplier of high-reliability, high-performance gallium nitride (GaN) power conversion products— will demonstrate leading-edge R&D results from its 1200-volt GaN device at the International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD 2022), an IEEE conference in the power semiconductor industry in May. The 1200V GaN... Read more →
The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $175 million for 68 research and development projects aimed at developing novel advanced energy technologies. Led by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the OPEN 2021 program prioritizes funding high-impact, high-risk technologies that support novel approaches. The selected projects—spanning 22 states and... Read more →
ies Power Integrations, a provider of high-voltage integrated circuits (ICs) for energy-efficient power conversion, has added two new AEC-Q100 qualified, 1700-volt rated ICs to its InnoSwitch3-AQ family. The new devices are the industry’s first automotive-qualified switching power supply ICs to incorporate a silicon carbide (SiC) primary switching MOSFET. Delivering up... Read more →
Koenigsegg is continuing its in-house technology development and advanced electromobility component offerings. It started with David, the recently introduced 6-phase inverter, followed by the company’s newest innovation, the Quark electric motor that utilizes a novel torque/power-rich balance between radial (power-dense) and axial (torque-dense) flux topology dubbed Raxial Flux. Koenigsegg has... Read more →
As part of its electrification strategy, Rheinmetall is setting up a joint venture with the US start-up PolyCharge America, Inc. to produce, develop and market DC-link capacitors. Underlying this move is Rheinmetall’s goal of gaining a stronger foothold in the rapidly growing markets for electromobility and industrial applications as well... Read more →
STMicroelectronics is introducing its third generation of STPOWER silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs for power control for electric-vehicle (EV) powertrains and other applications where power density, energy efficiency, and reliability are critical. The market leader in SiC power MOSFETs, ST has incorporated new and advanced design know-how to open up even more... Read more →
After several years of development, Bosch is now starting volume production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors to supply automotive manufacturers worldwide. In the future, an increasing number of production vehicles will feature these chips. Picture: Bosch The future for silicon carbide semiconductors is bright. We want to become a... Read more →
BorgWarner will be providing a new, high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) inverter to a large German automaker for implementation in its next-generation electric vehicles. This award expands existing 400V inverter business with this German OEM by adding 800V technology. The BorgWarner 800V SiC inverter with proprietary power switches provides a more... Read more →
REE Automotive has selected American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), a global Tier 1 automotive supplier, to supply REE with its high-performance electric drive units (EDU). AAM’s award-winning 3-in-1 electric drive technology—which places the electric motor, gearbox and inverter into a single package—will be integrated into REEcorner technology (earlier post). This... Read more →
Qorvo, a provider of innovative radio frequency (RF) solutions, has acquired United Silicon Carbide (UnitedSiC), a manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. The acquisition of United Silicon Carbide expands Qorvo’s reach into the fast-growing markets for electric vehicles (EVs), industrial power, circuit protection, renewables and data center power. United... Read more →
The Biophysical Economics Institute (BPEI), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the natural sciences into economic analysis and decision making, has partnered with Hedgerow Analysis to evaluate the implementation of SiC chips in electric vehicle usage on behalf of silicon carbide technology leader Wolfspeed, Inc. Specifically, the study estimated the... Read more →
BorgWarner is the recipient of a $4.97 million US Department of Energy (DOE) Award for the development of a Scalable Ultra Power-dense Extended Range (SUPER) inverter. This research and development project is one of 24 university and industry-led projects that collectively were awarded $60 million in an effort to reduce... Read more →
Allison Transmission will participate in the initial public offering (IPO) of Jing-Jin Electric (JJE), a leader in electric motor, inverter, and integrated electrified propulsion systems within China—the largest electric vehicle market in the world. As part of JJE’s upcoming IPO at The Science and Technology Innovation (STAR) Board on the... Read more →
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the University of Washington have formed the industry-wide Universal Interoperability for Grid-Forming Inverters (UNIFI) Consortium to advance research on grid-forming inverters supporting variable renewable energy growth across the power system. Funded through... Read more →
General Motors and Wolfspeed announced a strategic supplier agreement to develop and provide silicon carbide (SiC) power device solutions for GM’s future electric vehicle programs. The agreement marks GM’s initial shift to using silicon carbide for EV power electronics. Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide devices will enable GM to install more efficient... Read more →
A thermal management system developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with John Deere promises to increase the power density of silicon carbide (SiC) inverters within heavy-duty EV applications significantly. Recent studies indicate that the improved inverter design delivers a 378% increase in power density over the... Read more →
SAKOR Technologies provided the University of Houston’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a dynamometer test system designed to test motor and inverter designs for use in hybrid and electric vehicle applications. The system features dual opposin 7.5 kW AccuDyne four-quadrant AC motoring dynamometers, variable frequency drives, and a... Read more →
At Motor Bella 2021, Bosch is introducing its new efficient 230 electric motor for commercial and medium-duty vehicles. The new 230 electric motor has a rated voltage of 800 volts and is designed for long service life. Bosch‘s electric motor 230 for commercial vehicles. During its development, Bosch engineers paid... Read more →