- They will work on creating the optimum combination of ROHM’s SiC technology for high volume manufacturing best fit of inverter design for highest efficiency said the companies
- Vitesco Technologies is already developing and testing SiC technology in an 800-volt inverter concept to confirm the efficiency potential of the technology
ROHM Semiconductor, which deals in SiC power semiconductors and Vitesco Technologies have signed a development partnership, beginning in June 2020 where Vitesco Technologies will use SiC components to further increase the efficiency of its power electronics for electric vehicles (EV). With the higher efficiency SiC semiconductors, there is a better use of the electric energy stored in a vehicle battery. This gives the EV a longer range, or the battery cost can be reduced without impacting the range.
Thomas Stierle, executive vice president of the Electrification Technology business unit at Vitesco Technologies said, “Energy efficiency is of paramount importance in an electric vehicle. As the traction battery is the only source of energy in the vehicle, any losses caused by power conversion need to be minimized. We are therefore developing a SiC option within our modular power electronics system. To get the maximum efficiency out of the power electronics and the e-motor we will use SiC power devices from our preferred partner. ROHM has convinced us of its products”
Device technology and switching strategy
Vitesco Technologies is already developing and testing SiC technology in an 800-volt inverter concept to confirm the efficiency potential of the technology. It aims to look at the complete system of inverter and motor to identify the best combination of device technology and switching strategy.
Dr. Kazuhide Ino, corporate officer, director of power device business unit at ROHM Co.,Ltd said, “We are looking forward to the future cooperation with Vitesco Technologies. We are the leading company in SiC power semiconductors and have achieved a significant technological lead in this field along with the provision of power solutions combined with gate driver ICs. Together with Vitesco Technologies we want to further improve the energy efficiency of the electronic system in EVs to use the full potential of the SiC technology for a sustainable mobility.”
High volume manufacturing
In this context SiC semiconductors – SiC MOSFETs for 800-volt battery systems give more efficient switching in the inverter (higher frequency, steeper switching slopes) and cause fewer harmonic losses in the electric motor. SiC technology is a key enabler for super-fast charging technology that uses 800 volts. ROHM and Vitesco Technologies will work on creating the optimum combination of ROHM’s SiC technology for high volume manufacturing and best fit of inverter design for highest efficiency said the companies.
Dr. Gerd Rösel, head of innovation in the Electrification Technology business unit at Vitesco Technologies said, “The SiC option is a very promising future part of our modular power electronics system comprising of software, power output stage, and switching strategy. We will work with ROHM on a 800-volt SiC inverter solution as well as on a 400-volt SiC inverter solution. Vitesco Technology plans the start of production of the first SiC inverter as of 2025, when the demand for SiC solutions is expected to rise significantly. In other words, our partnership and development are perfectly on time.” Vitesco Technologies and ROHM both have sites at Nuremberg (ROHM Semiconductor Group: SiCrystal GmbH), which is not far from Vitesco Technologies’ headquarters at Regensburg.
