BorgWarner said it would supply its 400v silicon carbide (SiC) inverter for an unnamed European OEM’s battery electric vehicles.
The supplier said its inverter has dual side cooled power switches for enhanced driving performance and longer range.
Vehicle production is scheduled for 2023.
“With the global push for vehicle electrification, there is a significantly increased demand for electric vehicle technology that can support higher efficiency in real-world driving,” said Stefan Demmerle, head of BW’s powerdrive systems. “The new technology offers greater power density, reduced switching losses, proven performance, and the long-term reliability they need.”
The new SiC inverter design builds on proven cooling technology to reduce semi-conductor area and SiC material, offering a lighter and smaller system at lower cost compared to other silicon-based inverters. The system features greater durability through its wire bondless power switch design in which the silicon isolated gate bipolar transistor power switches have been replaced by SiC metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor power switches. This delivers up to a claimed 70% reduction in switching losses.