Semiconductor provider STMicroelectronics is supplying SiC semiconductors for SEMIKRON’s eMPack EV power modules. “In addition to its transformative effect in e-mobility, our SiC technology, now in its third generation, is driving increased efficiency, performance and reliability in sustainable energy and industrial power-control applications,” said STMicroelectronics Executive VP Edoardo Merli. As part of a four-year technical… Read more »
Semiconductor provider STMicroelectronics has introduced a new line of microcontrollers (MCUs). The Stellar E line is designed for EVs as well as domain and zonal electronic architectures. The company says that, compared to other MCUs that depend on additional chips to manage the control of silicon carbide power modules, Stellar E MCUs manage control-loop processing… Read more »
STMicroelectronics has released its third generation of STPOWER silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, intended for 800 V drive systems. ST’s new SiC devices are designed for traction inverters, on-board chargers, DC-DC converters and e-climate compressors. The new components are designed to boost the efficiency of motor drives, renewable-energy converters and storage systems. Devices with nominal voltage ratings… Read more »
Semiconductor provider STMicroelectronics and French research institute Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies (Leti) have announced plans to enhance on-board EV chargers with gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology. They plan to have validated engineering samples ready in 2019. Devices that use gallium nitride can handle higher voltages, frequencies and temperatures than those using conventional materials such… Read more »
Silicon carbide is a hot topic in the power electronics field these days. As a recent article in the New York Times explains, SiC is a wide-bandgap (WBG) material that designers are increasingly choosing to make power electronics devices more efficient. WBG advantages The WBG classification has profound implications for device behavior and performance. This… Read more »
Interoperability—the ability of products from different manufacturers to work together—is one of the most fundamental enablers of our technological society. From low-tech tools such as screwdrivers and wrenches to digital constructs like computer operating systems, interoperability is critical, and the lack of it is often a roadblock to the adoption of new technologies. As EVs… Read more »
A closer look at semiconductor packaging considerations in EVs One of the most critical decisions to be made at the earliest stage of designing a new power converter concerns the packages used for the semiconductors, as pretty much every other aspect of the design hinges on their physical form. This is especially true for the main… Read more »
EVELOZCITY, a Los Angeles company working on EVs available only via subscription, has announced that it has changed its name to Canoo. Canoo hopes to offer four EVs in select cities by subscription only. In an effort to reduce design and production costs, it plans to use a single standardized EV platform. The company also… Read more »
Norwegian power electronics firm Zaptec has developed a new portable charger in partnership with Renault. The ZapCharger Portable is designed to be compact (3 kg, 45x10x10 cm), rugged and smart – it’s waterproof, operates at temperatures from -40° to 55° C, and continuously monitors the grid to shut down immediately if it detects a fault…. Read more »