OEMs seek greater performance in efficiency as they move to become “all-electric”
Electric vehicles face consumer concerns over “range anxiety” and “charge anxiety” with auto makers responding by integrating components further, using advancements in power electronics to raise powertrain efficiency and using 800 Volt+ electrical networks to shorten charging times. Silicon carbide (SiC) is among many wide bandgap technologies being adopted to enhance efficiency in switching power to drive electric motors, receiving charge through on-board chargers and converting direct current. These are some of the developments covered in the Strategy Analytics’ Electric Vehicle Service (EVS) reports: Electric Vehicle Power Electronics: Increasing Use of 800 Volts, Integrated Designs and Silicon Carbide.
“As auto makers adjust their businesses to become “all-electric,” the competition among them intensifies,” says Kevin Mak, principal analyst in the Global Automotive Practice (GAP). “Wide bandgap technologies, such as silicon carbide, enable motor inverters to run at higher junction temperatures and so reduce their thermal management requirements. Raising the performance in power switching leads to smaller inverters enabling electric traction motors to spin faster and raise torque output providing an improvement in battery electric powertrain performance. Wide bandgap technologies also allow components to become smaller, which translates to size, weight and power improvements to the powertrain while also allowing more flexibility to integrate systems. 800 Volt technology also enables auto makers to use lighter cabling and to draw power more quickly than using lower voltages.”
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