Skip to main content

Elimination of electric vehicle systems

According to IDTechEx Research reports, Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2016-2026, Mild Hybrid 48V Vehicles 2016-2031 and Structural Electronics 2015-2025: Applications, Technologies, Forecasts”, el4ctric vehicles (EVs)have a cost challenge: hybrids have complexity problems meaning reliability and space issues. Extra power electronic units arrive for tasks such as a vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-house and inductive charging. Many more will be added in future such as regeneration modules - thermoelect
June 24, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
According to 6582 IDTechEx Research reports, Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2016-2026, Mild Hybrid 48V Vehicles 2016-2031 and Structural Electronics 2015-2025: Applications, Technologies, Forecasts”,  el4ctric vehicles (EVs)have a cost challenge: hybrids have complexity problems meaning reliability and space issues. Extra power electronic units arrive for tasks such as a vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-house and inductive charging. Many more will be added in future such as regeneration modules - thermoelectric, exhaust turbine, energy harvesting shock absorber and thermoelectric, for example. Even external harvesting systems get added such as wind turbines that erect when the vehicle is parked and photovoltaic systems but it is inefficient to build a vehicle design by adding them all as separate modules increasing cost, weight and space. Consequently, attention is turning to integration by designing out many of the circuits, merging others and eventually blending mechanical, electrical and electronic systems into load-bearing smart material and smart skin.

Contentiously, CPT sees a possibility of programming a switched reluctance motor-generator in a 48V mild hybrid to replace the DC-DC converter charging the lead-acid and the lithium-ion battery. All agree that the 12V lead-acid system in the mild hybrid will go, the 48V Li-ion battery doing everything. Elsewhere, one lithium-ion capacitor could replace a battery plus supercapacitor.

Following the trend to two or more traction motors per vehicle, the Technical University of Berlin with Infineon is merging their motor controllers and the on-board charger (OBC). Infineon now has a special chip to assist.

At EVS29 in Montreal June 2016, Dr Martin Bruell of Continental, Germany, revealed progress on elimination of the OBC. In a paper, “Bidirectional Charge- and Traction-System” he reported, “We have developed a cost-efficient solution for E-Mobility targeting all kinds of conductive charging. It solves the chicken-and-egg problem of investment for fast charging electronics by reusing existing electronics in the car. It makes the charging station as simple as possible, which is AC charging. Furthermore all conductive charging interfaces can be used when the BCTS is installed”. He discussed the system architecture, the use cases and needs and the current development status of the involved components. The IDTechEx Research report, Future Powertrain 2016-2036 gives more detail.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New guide to EV Charging & Infrastructure
    November 14, 2022
    ITS International's sister website is launching to cover the growing business of EV infrastructure
  • Sure control with Circontrol
    March 29, 2022
    Circontrol says it has achieved a new standard in efficient parking solutions thanks to the launch of its smart parking device KSensor.
  • BMW and Toyota to strengthen collaboration
    July 3, 2012
    Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), and Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW, have announced the planned expansion of their existing cooperation initiated in December last year. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at a long-term strategic collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification and joint research and de
  • Wireless charging project could change perceptions of electric vehicles
    October 10, 2012
    A two-year pilot project has begun in London with taxi firm Addison Lee and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Renault, which uses the principle of magnetic induction to jump electricity from a base station direct to the vehicle’s battery to deliver wireless charging. The charging technology being used is called Halo and has been developed by mobile innovations company Qualcomm, the organisation responsible for processors powering the latest generation of smartphones and tablets. ‘EV drivers will opt for th