Power electronics: fueling the
development of electric vehicles

At the heart of power electronics are power modules, and a well-designed and efficient power module impacts most major systems within an electric vehicle (EV), like battery size or weight, cooling, vehicle range, and cost. As a result, each EV model requires a semi-custom design approach to power modules.

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For many EV companies, there may be dozens of different power module designs in flight at any one time, and there are several variants for each inverter family.

The demand for newer, smaller, more efficient, lower cost power modules is rapidly growing.

Power module design challenges

  • Reducing SIZE of system components
  • Reducing WEIGHT of system-level components
  • Reducing POWER CONVERSION losses
  • Reducing COOLING requirements
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Some countries plan to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2030 or 2035. *

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Today, over 70% of electricity is processed by some form of power electronics.

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Power module design today is often manually intensive and costly with a heavy reliance on physical prototypes.

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Ensure first-pass success

Abstract

A modern streamlined electro-thermal & EMI design process.

POWER MODULES: A FOUR-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN CHALLENGE CALLS FOR A HOLISTIC DESIGN AND VERIFICATION APPROACH

A power module is a high-power switching circuit used in applications for electric vehicles, renewable energy, photovoltaics, wind power, and much more. This paper discusses different technologies and the associated design challenges to achieve complex requirements like high voltage resistivity up to 1700 V, high current ratings up to 1600 A, temperature stability, and low E- and H-field emissions.

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