- Advanced EV high-voltage applications will be developed in the new lab
- Navitas’ EV System Design Centre of Shanghai will also provide support
VREMT, a leading electric powertrain supplier, and Navitas Semiconductor jointly announced the opening of an advanced R&D power semiconductor laboratory to accelerate EV power-system developments. Navitas’ GaNFast (gallium nitride, GaN) power ICs and GeneSiC (silicon carbide, SiC) power MOSFETs and diodes will be utilized for this purpose.
Mr Shuibao Guo, Vice GM, VREMT and Mr Charles Zha, VP & GM, Navitas China recently opened this joint lab in Ningbo, China. Engineers and system design teams from both companies will work in the lab with advanced power system design tools. It is learnt that the R&D lab will be further supported by Navitas’ own unique EV System Design Centre, which is located in Shanghai.
The official statement said that GaN and SiC are ‘wide bandgap’ power semiconductors that deliver higher efficiency at faster switching speeds, with smaller system sizes and lower costs than legacy silicon chips. These advances will enable EV power conversion systems to deliver faster charging, faster acceleration, longer range and lower cost EVs which will accelerate our planet’s transition from fossil-fuel to clean-air vehicles, added the statement.
“It is an honour for Navitas to join with VREMT division to create this leading-edge, joint laboratory to create next-generation power systems for VREMT,” said Mr Zha. He pointed out that the new partnership is aligned on both technical goals and also for sustainability, as both companies focus on carbon neutrality.
Saying that Navitas’ next-generation power semiconductors bring enormous value to VREMT’s design teams, Mr Guo added, “We expect that Navitas’ high-frequency power-system expertise will greatly reduce time-to-prototype and time-to-market for VREMT systems.”
Ningbo-based VREMT (Viridi E-Mobility Technology Co., Ltd.) was founded in 2013, as a subsidiary of Geely Group. It specializes in R&D, production, sales, and after-sales service of new energy vehicle batteries, electric motors, electric control, charging, and energy storage systems. ZEEKR is a new electric mobility technology and solutions provider. With its ‘unique’ business model, the brand aims to break the boundaries between users and the brand with innovations driven by user experiences, user ecology, and user shareholding plans.
2014-born Navitas Semiconductor is a leading next-gen power-semiconductor company. GaNFast™ power ICs integrate gallium nitride (GaN) power and drive, with control, sensing, and protection to enable faster charging, higher power density, and greater energy savings. Navitas claims to be the world’s first semiconductor company to be CarbonNeutral®-certified.
