Microchip Technology has expanded its portfolio of silicon carbide (SiC) power modules for high-power system control, gate drive and power stages. Microchip’s SiC family includes Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD)-based power modules in 700, 1,200 and 1,700 volt versions. The new power module family includes various topologies, including dual diode, full-bridge, phase leg, dual common cathode,… Read more »
Posts By: Tom Lombardo
Samsung researchers describe all-solid-state battery with silver-carbon composite layer
Researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Samsung R&D Institute Japan (SRJ) have published a study on high-performance, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries in the journal Nature Energy. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, which employ volatile liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state batteries use non-volatile solid electrolytes that support greater energy density. However, their lithium metal anodes… Read more »
Majority of demand for nickel and cobalt coming from 5 battery suppliers
In 2019, over 59,000 tons of nickel and 14,400 tons of cobalt were deployed globally in passenger EV batteries, a one-year increase of 39% and 34%, respectively, according to data from Adamas Intelligence’s EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker. Panasonic used 51% of the global market share of nickel (down from 56% in 2018),… Read more »
UC San Diego’s research roadmap for the challenges of solid-state batteries
The race is on to develop batteries that are less expensive, safer, longer-lasting, more energy-dense, and easily recyclable. All-solid-state batteries show promise, but obstacles to their wide-scale adoption remain. In a review article published in Nature Nanotechnology, nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) offer a research roadmap that discusses four challenges of… Read more »
The battery that breathes—Freudenberg’s pressure compensation system
EV batteries require pressure compensation both under normal operation and during emergency ventilation. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ DIAvent component combines these two functions into a single design, which will be used in the ABT e-Caddy and ABT e-Transporter, two Volkswagen vans that are popular in Europe and Mexico. To reduce battery weight and size, ABT uses… Read more »
KEMET introduces metal composite power inductors for auto market
KEMET Electronics Corporation has launched a new family of metal composite power inductors for the automotive market. The inductors are designed for switching power supplies in Electronic Control Units (ECUs). Available in various industry-standard SMD footprints, MPXV inductors can operate at temperatures up to 155° C, and can be used in all areas of the… Read more »
Bollinger Motors unveils E-Chassis for commercial vehicles
Bollinger Motors has unveiled its patent-pending E-Chassis, a Class 3 electric platform designed for commercial applications. “When we first built our Class 3 B1, we knew there was a commercial aspect to the platform,” says CEO Robert Bollinger. “Not only cab-on-chassis, but entirely new truck bodies can fit on our E-Chassis, and help propel the… Read more »
Power Integrations’ SCALE-iDriver for SiC MOSFETs achieves AEC-Q100 automotive qualification
Power Integrations has announced that its SIC118xKQ SCALE-iDriver, a single-channel gate driver for silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, is now certified to AEC-Q100 for automotive use. The drivers, which include safety and protection features, can be configured to support gate-drive voltage requirements of commonly used SiC MOSFETs. The SIC1182KQ (1,200 V) and SIC1181KQ (750 V) SCALE-iDriver… Read more »
Fermata receives UL certification for vehicle-to-grid EV charging system
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has announced that Fermata Energy’s bidirectional EV charging system is the first in the world to be certified to a new North American safety standard, UL 9741. The standard covers bidirectional equipment that charges EVs from an electric power system (EPS) and also allows the vehicle to export power to an EPS,… Read more »
Equipmake joins forces with HiETA to create power-dense electric motor
Electric powertrain manufacturer Equipmake has teamed up with additive manufacturing company HiETA Technologies to develop a next-generation motor, codenamed AMPERE. The project is the group’s attempt to produce a lightweight, efficient, low-cost electric motor with peak power density of more than 20 kW per kg. AMPERE is made using additive manufacturing, which allows its metal… Read more »