Traction

Rhopoint Components is to supply a 1.2kV 260A three-phase silicon carbide power module for electric vehicles. Made by Cissoid and called CMT-PLA3SB12340, it can supply its 26A at 90°C, and up to 340A at 25°C. This is a complete power module, including output-to-baseplate (5kVdc for 1min) and input-to-output (3kV for 1min) isolation, power supplies to feed the secondary side gate ...

US car maker Rivian has signed up Infineon to supply traction inverter power modules, microcontrollers and power ICs for its ‘R2’ vehicle platform, expecting to start in 2026. The power modules will be in Infineon’s HybridPack Drive G2 format (pictured) and include both silicon and silicon carbide components. Along with these, Rivian has picked infineon’s established TC3x MCUs, not not ...

Power component maker Cissoid has teamed up with automotive engineering services provider Edag Group to develop SiC traction inverters for electric mobility. “This collaboration brings together Cissoid’s expertise in silicon carbide power semiconductor modules and controls with EDAG’s know-how in the design, integration and validation of electric powertrains,” according to Cissoid. “The two companies aim to offer e-mobility OEMs and ...

Cambridge GaN Devices has patented a technique for lowering losses in 100kW+ IGBT-based vehicle traction drives, at lower cost than all-silicon-carbide inverters, it said. It involves connecting GaN hemts in parallel with large silicon IGBTs, and has been branded ‘Combo ICeGaN ‘. “Today, inverters for EV powertrains either use IGBTs which are low cost but inefficient at light load conditions, ...

Cambridge-based QPT is to develop a 1MHz 400V 60kW GaN automotive traction inverter, funded by the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The project is ‘Verde’, and the inverter will have a sinewave output. QPT uses microwave design techniques to harness GaN’s lightening-fast switching behaviour, as an alternative to slowing the gate drive. “Our system technology enables GaN to be used ...

Aiming at vehicle traction, Infineon has put a pair of 3,300V 1,000A 1.9 mΩ silicon carbide trench mosfets into its 100 x 140 x 40mm ‘XHP 2’ module housing, calling the module FF2000UXTR33T2M1. This package is rated for 6kV testing, and achieves 2.6kV partial discharge extinction. Creepage is 40mm terminal to baseplate and 34mm between terminals. Clearance is 31 and ...

Applied EV has picked Cissoid to supply silicon carbide based inverter modules for its autonomous electric vehicles. The module, CXT-ICM3SA, was introduced at APEC earlier this year and combines a three-phase 1.2kV SiC mosfet bridge – rated at 340 to 550A depending on model – a driver board and a control board in a stack. The control board is built ...

Specialist electric car maker The Little Car Company is celebrating three years since it delivered its first vehicle. The company creates slightly scaled down versions of classic vehicles, powered by electric motors rated at up to 28kW. So far is has delivered 400 vehicles to over 50 countries, spread between its Bugatti Baby II, Aston Martin DB5 Junior and Ferrari ...

LEM has announced three-phase current sensors that fit silicon carbide power modules typically used in 800V vehicle traction inverters. “Developers of automotive traction inverters are increasingly using three-phase power modules such as Hybridpack Drive from Infineon, Acepak Drive from ST Microelectronics, SSDC from ON Semi, and others such as Starpower and CRRC,” according to LEM. “The current sensor offers current ...

San Jose based Pre-Switch is reporting 98.5% efficiency at 5% load from its 800Vin ‘CleanWave2’ prototype inverter. Peak efficiency is 99.57%. It is a 100kHz forced-resonant, soft-switching inverter, controlled by an AI algorithm (more on the technology here). “Over a year ago we announced peak efficiency of over 99%. Since that time, we have been improving our AI algorithm to ...