Electric and Hybrid vehicles depend on an inverter device. It ensures that sufficient electricity passes from the battery to the motor during operation. Now, scientists from North Carolina State University have developed a new inverter device that is more effective in a lighter and smaller package.
This new inverter device is made from off-the-shelf components of the wide-bandgap semiconductor material silicon carbide (SiC). The power density of new SiC materials allows engineers to make the inverters and their smaller and lighter components. Additionally, it can pass 12.1 kilowatts of power per liter (kW/L). It can transfer 99 percent of the energy to the motor, two percent higher than the common inverters under normal conditions.
Iqbal Husain, an associate professor, said, “The silicon carbide inverters can be smaller and lighter than their silicon counterparts. It can further improve the range of electric vehicles. And new advances in inverter components should allow us to make the inverters even smaller.”
Range anxiety is the major factor limiting public acceptance of electric vehicles. People are afraid they won’t be able to travel long or that they’ll get stuck on the side of the road.
As compare to previous versions, this new inverter device is more efficient at blowing heat. This could allow the creation of air-cooled inverters, eliminating the need for heavy liquid cooling systems.
Hussain said, “Conventional, silicon-based inverters have likely improved since 2010. But they’re still nowhere near 12.1 kW/L. But, frankly, we are pretty sure that we can improve further on the energy density that we’ve shown with this prototype.”
Scientists hope to achieve DOE’s 13.4 kW/L target by using recently made ultra-high-density SiC power components.
The Existing SiC inverter prototype was designed to reach 55 kW power in hybrid vehicles. Scientists are now scaling it up to 100 kW power using off-the-shelf components. They’re also developing inverters that use the new, ultra-high-density SiC power components.