Column: Electric vehicles
The race to automotive electrification By Vicor design engineers F
or many years, EV production volumes were below 1% of overall vehicle production worldwide. According to the Credit Suisse Global Auto
Research team, this is likely to change soon, soaring to 62% in 2030 (compared to 11% in 2020), reaching 63 million vehicles worldwide, of which 29 million will be fully electric. In practice, it is the consumer who is
driving the demand for electric vehicles: OEMs are now electrifying some of their most popular models, offering fast charging and lower maintenance and repair costs. With those improvements comes a growing diversity of vehicle platforms, powertrain architectures, battery technologies and charging configurations, complicating power system design. Now, design engineers must look to enhance power levels, decrease power delivery network (PDN) size and weight, and provide better thermal management and reusability. Hence, designing power systems must transition
from complex customised discrete-based design to a smaller, more flexible, easier to use, higher-density modular solutions.
Need for power Automakers have always been challenged with the need for more power. Early on, cars were powered with a 6V battery, right up to the mid-1950s, when automotive systems upgraded to a 12V power source to meet the growing need for more power. Now, windows, steering and seats all require more power and so do the new high-compression engines. More recently, CO2
combustion engines typically operate at power levels between 600W and 3kW. New electrified EV, HEV, PHEV vehicles (xEV) require power of 3kW to over 60kW – that’s 5-20 times more; see Figure 1. Tis increase in turn places tremendous strain on vehicles in terms of increased size, weight and complexity, and negatively impacts energy efficiency, reliability and even comfort and safety. Tere simply isn’t enough space
emission compliance
standards have motivated OEMs to further reconsider how to power vehicles. Whilst OEMs are introducing electrified cars to meet these standards, there has yet to emerge a harmonised approach for delivering electric power, not only to the motors but to all the vehicle subsystems. Tis lack of standardisation is
compounded by a tremendous increase in power requirements. Automobiles with
to accommodate all the electrical requirements if car manufacturers proceed with traditional methods of power delivery. To meet this challenge they’ll need to find a solution is lightweight and compact, yet flexible and even reusable. So, development engineers must look to three key requirements for their designs:
1. Power density The size and weight of power electronics used in various EV platforms have a direct bearing on vehicle performance, energy efficiency and battery range.
Figure 1: By 2030, battery electric vehicles (BEV) will account for 45% of all xEVs 12 September 2022
www.electronicsworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
