Continental has introduced a 30 kW, 48-volt high-power drive system for full hybrid vehicles, which it says is cheaper than the high-voltage systems used up to now. Until now, manufacturers have typically used 48-volt systems in “mild hybrid” vehicles, in which the electric motor doesn’t drive the vehicle directly, but only assists the ICE. Full… Read more »
Sponsored by Kulicke & Soffa By: Peter Klaerner, senior manager for Wedge Bond Systems Engineering, Kulicke & Soffa Wire and ribbon bonding have traditionally been the methods of choice for creating reliable interconnects in the electronics industry. The progress in electric vehicle production has created the need for better, more reliable interconnects that can be… Read more »
Power Integrations, a manufacturer of gate-driver technology for medium- and high-voltage inverter applications, has introduced the SCALE-iFlex gate-driver system for IGBT, hybrid, and silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFET power modules with blocking voltages from 1.7 to 4.5 kV. The system consists of a central Isolated Master Control (IMC) and one to four Module-Adapted Gate Drivers (MAGs). The… Read more »
Sponsored by Dymax The current movement toward vehicle electrification and the desire to put self-driving cars on the road is fueling an automotive revolution. Manufacturers are searching for assembly solutions that increase productivity and throughput, decrease rework and costs, and boost the bottom line. Concurrently, design engineers are striving to create better performing, more reliable… Read more »
Voltaiq, a battery software platform company, has released an industry survey, Preparing for The Electrification Tsunami, that examined many of the challenges battery manufacturers, suppliers, and integrators currently face. Conducted in Q1 2019, the survey polled battery cell producers, battery pack and component developers, academic and national labs, and companies involved in transportation, consumer electronics,… Read more »
UK-based M&I Materials has developed a new range of biodegradable dielectric fluids, MIVOLT, to provide immersion cooling for EV batteries and charging points. As non-conductive fluids, MIVOLT fluids can come into direct contact with electronic components, which M&I says is a more effective method of heat removal and a lighter-weight option than designs that rely… Read more »
Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a company that uses high-throughput methods to develop next-generation battery materials, has received a second patent on its development of electrolytes for silicon anode batteries. Wildcat’s first patent for this work was awarded in late 2018 and covered the use of sulfolane-based electrolytes. This new patent covers acrylate-based additives which can be… Read more »
Chinese chemical manufacturers Haiyi and East Chem are launching local production of OCSiAl’s TUBALL BATT, a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) additive for silicon anodes for EVs. SWCNTs are designed to improve battery performance and cycle life when added into the silicon anode. Haiyi and East Chem aim for a combined annual production volume of 7,000… Read more »
Transphorm, a provider of Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors, has introduced its second 900 V Field-Effect Transistor (FET), the Gen III TP90H050WS. Transphorm’s devices now enable three-phase industrial systems and higher voltage automotive electronics to use GaN. The FET has a typical on-resistance of 50 mOhm with a 1000 V transient rating, offered in a standard… Read more »
INFICON, a supplier of leak-detection equipment, predicts that the percentage of global automotive plants with robotic leak-detection systems will jump from 5 percent today to 20 percent or more by 2024. The company attributes the rise to growing interest in EVs and autonomous vehicles. Robotic leak-detection techniques are either static and dynamic. In static detection,… Read more »