Power Electronics

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Power electronics

Nick Flaherty explains the three types of switching technologies for inverters and how to match them to a given inverter design. Power electronics is of course a key technology for e-mobility systems, and the development of their components is a vital part of the evolution...

Dossier

Energica Eva Ribelle

Rory Jackson explores how this e-bike combines the efficiency for urban commuting with the performance for recreational use. Since its founding in 2014, the Energica Motor Company has sought to combine cuttingedge electrical engineering with designs that capture the ergonomics and aesthetics needed to thrive in the world...

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DC-DC converters

Peter Donaldson investigates the technology that underpins these essential voltage switching devices. In modern pure electric and hybrid vehicles, battery voltages of 300- 400 V is becoming common, 600 V is gaining ground and 800 V systems are starting to emerge, all to help produce more power yet keep...

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Thermal Management 2020

Peter Donaldson reports on the methods and materials for keeping EV batteries and other components in their optimum temperature range. Thermal management is the art and science of moving heat energy around to keep various components of a vehicle – and its occupants – at safe, efficient and comfortable working...

Grid

Power semiconductors battleground

Even though wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and to a lesser extent gallium nitride (GaN) are making their presence felt in EV power conversion systems still dominated by silicon (Si), there is more performance to come from Si – and EVs are positioned to take advantage of competition among all three materials […]

Grid

Double-sided ceramic power module for drive inverters

Engineers in Germany have developed a double-sided ceramic power semiconductor module for more efficient cooling of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices in e-mobility designs (writes Nick Flaherty). The ceramic module developed in the FuCera project dramatically cuts the size of drive inverters by providing more efficient cooling and allows vertical interconnection within the ceramic substrate […]

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ECUs

Peter Donaldson reports on the latest development trends in engine control units, and the factors driving them. While the entire powertrain of an EV is much simpler than that of a typical modern car with an internal combustion engine, the number and sophistication of the electronic control units (ECUs) distributed around road-going EVs in particular continues to grow as...

Deep Insight

EMI

Nick Flaherty explains the different ways of protecting against EMI in EV platforms, and why it needs to be considered from the earliest stages of system design. Essentially there are only three ways to handle electromagnetic interference (EMI) – don’t produce it, filter it out or shield from it. These options lead to a wide range of design trade-offs in e-mobility designs, from the power systems through the...

Dossier

Elaphe L1500 in-wheel motor

The L1500 has been designed to enable it to be used in a wide range of OEM EVs and HEVs. Rory Jackson reports on how it was developed. Slovenian company Elaphe is known in the e-mobility industry for its in-wheel propulsion technology, which is used in a range of automotive applications around the...

Show Report

Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe 2018

Lawrence Butcher reports on some of the latest products that caught his eye at this major e-mobility show. May 2018 saw this annual expo take place in Hanover, Germany, where it also incorporated The Battery Show. Concurrently, the conference element of the show saw a...
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